The school bell is ringing to invite the public to experience the one-room Churchville Schoolhouse for an afternoon of music, history and activities.

The annual event provides an opportunity for families and history fans to explore what life was like on area farms and inside the Churchville Schoolhouse from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at 3N784 Church Road, just north of Grand Avenue, Bensenville.

One of the oldest structures in DuPage County and one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in Illinois still standing on its original site, the schoolhouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a well-preserved example of typical mid-1800s rural schoolhouses built by local farmers and craftsmen. Children from the towns now known as Elmhurst, Bensenville and Addison attended the school until 1930.

The open house features musical performances by local schoolchildren, live music and dancing, and class time with the schoolmarm inside the restored schoolhouse. The schedule for the day includes:

• Lessons with the schoolmarm inside the schoolhouse at noon and 1:20 p.m.

• Musical performances of American folk songs by the Conrad Fischer Elementary School Singers at 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

• Live music by the Battlefield Balladeers performing songs and music from the Civil War era.

• Lessons on the Virginia reel at 12:30 p.m. and Circassian Circle Dance at 1:45 p.m., led by the schoolmarm.

• Old-fashioned games and vintage crafts.

• Information about early DuPage County residents buried in the cemetery adjacent to the schoolhouse property from the Churchville Cemetery Association.

• The city of Elmhurst’s vintage fire truck, weather permitting.

Admission is free and parking is available in the church parking lots on the east side of Church Road. For information, visit elmhursthistory.org or call (630) 833-1457.