About 450 people came to last year’s expo, organized by Arlington Mothers of Preschoolers, or MOPS. The group would like to make it an annual event, coordinator Amy Jo Irwin said.

It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Arlington Free Methodist Church’s youth center, 730 E. Highland Drive. Admission is free, but the fund-raiser charges for a booth.

“We needed to come up with a fundraiser for our group that was fun and sustainable,” Irwin said. “We don’t need to raise a ton of money, so we kind of shifted our focus from doing something that brings in a ton of money to something that’s more of a service for the community.”

Every exhibitor has a kid- or family oriented product or service, she said. They’re required to come up with some kind of activity for children at their station, which makes the expo a play day for kids along with a research and networking time for parents.

New this year is an area where kids can try different classes to see if they like them. USTA Martial Arts is putting on a taekwondo class, Arlington School of Dance and Rising Stars Gymnastics have beginner lessons ready and Arlington Free Methodist Church has prepared a science class from its Vacation Bible School program.

“It really is all ages,” Irwin said. “If you had to narrow it down, it would be mostly young preschooler through upper elementary, but really there’s something for everybody there.”

Food and raffle packages provided by local businesses also are part of the event. The expo is mainly focused on services from Everett north to the Skagit County line and from Camano Island east to Darrington.

“We really want to connect families,” Irwin said. “I know myself, as a mother, sometimes I’m searching for different services or products and I don’t realize what’s available in my area. We want to connect parents to the help they need. It’s almost like one-stop shopping.”

For details about the event, go to facebook.com/ccfamilyexpo.