WAXHAW — The sixth annual Autumn Treasures Festival in Waxhaw will reach out to children like never before, town events coordinator Cathy Murphy said.

The free event, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, will feature a larger kid zone with more rides and inflatable attractions. The Carolina Raptor Center will participate for the first time, allowing children to see birds of prey up close. Schiele Museum Gem Mining and A Walk in the Woods will also make their debuts.

“Number one, I didn’t want people to have to pay a lot of money to be here,” Murphy said. “Number two, I wanted the kids to be entertained. If the kids are having fun, the parents are having fun.”

Parents might be happy to know that their children can also get free lessons on manners at the festival. Libby Miller from The Etiquette School of The Piedmont will offer free classes at the top of each hour. Topics will include telephone and table manners, and advice about how to write thank-you notes.

The downtown Waxhaw event will also have booths selling jewelry, woodwork, local apples and other crafts and art. Area musicians, including the Norris Boys and GodSent, will play on the main stage. A variety of local foods will be sold.

Blue Jazzaroo will perform at 8 p.m. at Eight Legs Gallery both nights, and the gallery will also host a gallery crawl.

Terri Barbee, a representative for festival sponsor Waxhaw United Methodist Church, said she is excited to have the expanded kid zone on and around the church premises.

“It’s letting the church’s people serve the people of the community,” she said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Autumn Treasures begins at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10 and noon on Oct. 11; the festival ends at 6 p.m. both days.

— Waxhaw reporter Elisabeth Arriero can be reached at 704-261-2226.