The fifth N.C. Literary Festival will be held this weekend at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. And for the first time, it will include a large area dedicated to young readers ages 12 and under.

The festival, a collaborative effort between the libraries at UNC, Duke, N.C. State and N.C. Central, has had something for kids since it first began in 1998. But this year, organizers decided to add even more, bringing in some major names in children’s literature and offering activities for kids all weekend.

“When I first started, I was able to go visit other major festivals. One component is that they had a very strong children’s area,” said Amy Baldwin, festival director. “Our festival continues to grow each year and we felt it was time to add that strong component as well.”

Children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers will take the children’s main stage starting at 10 a.m. Saturday and 11:10 a.m. Sunday. Highlights include Judy Schachner, best know for her Skippyjon Jones series, at 11:10 a.m., and R. L. Stine, best known for the Goosebumps series, at 2:40 p.m. on Saturday.

Other activities include plenty of crafts and opportunities for kids to create their own stories and illustrations. The performance stage includes puppets, storytelling by characters and local professional athletes, and theatrical performances.

And some of your kids’ favorite characters will be roaming the area, inluding Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Berenstain Bears parents and local mascots such as Ramses and Wool E. Bull.

The children’s area will take place outside under tents between Bynum Hall and the Steele Building on UNC’s main campus. No tickets are required.

It’s a big weekend for family activities …

Get buggy at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences’ very popular BugFest from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The annual event draws tens of thousands for displays, exhibits and activities both inside and outside the museum in downtown Raleigh. And, of course, Café Insecta is back where you can try dishes featuring creepy crawlers as the major ingredient. BugFest turns into the Evening Insectival from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., featuring more adult, but still family-friendly, activities. This year’s theme bugs are butterflies and moths.

Honor the hornworm at Duke Homestead’s annual Tobacco Harvest and Hornworm Arts Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. The day begins with demonstrations of traditional tobacco harvesting, curing and stringing, followed by the hornworm race and a MoonPie eating contest. Live music and crafts also included.

See the ballet version of the popular children’s book “Fancy Nancy: Bonjour Butterfly” at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. The performance is a preview of the Raleigh Dance Theatre’s season. The company will present its Storybook Tales on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 at the Fletcher Opera Theater at Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. The performance Saturday at Cameron Village is free.

Head to the fair … the annual Fair at St. Raphael Catholic Church in North Raleigh. The long-running fair is 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. tonight and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. It includes rides, games, food, crafts and more. The church is at 5801 Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh. 

Get a sneak peak into the science of the movie and entertainment industry at the Museum of Life and Science’s Heroes, Villains and Special Effects event in Durham. The program runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the museum at 433 Murray Ave., Durham. Visitors can meet Star Wars character and learn secrets to stunt and fight choreography and more. The event is free with admission. 

Catch Billy Jonas in concert. Jonas, best known for his percussion-based family music, will play at  the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at 3 p.m. Sunday. The church is at 3313 Wade Ave., Raleigh. Tickets, which are only sold at the door, are $10 for adults and $7 for kids. 

As always, there's more on the Mom2Mom calendar.