Each year, the Sociedad Cultural Y Civica la Reforma, SCCLR, hosts three major events that work to promote the preservation of Latin culture in Northwest Indiana. The organization’s largest and most widely attended event is the Night of Latin Culture, which took place last month.
The SCCLR’s Night of Latin Culture, which just celebrated its ninth annual event, is the longest running SCCLR production. It is a one-night festival which features many different aspects of many different Latin and Hispanic cultures.
The event took place on the evening of October 10 at Bishop Noll Institute in Hammond. As always, admission was free. The SCCLR believes in educating as many people as possible on Latin traditions and customs and wants everyone to feel like they can participate without having to come up with money to buy a ticket.
The festival has something for everyone. This year, the Bishop Noll Institute Soccer Club partnered with SCCLR and sold tamale and taco dinners. The proceeds benefited the BNI girls’ soccer team. Also, children had the chance to get their faces painted and play different kinds of games.
One of the most loved aspects of the event is the opportunity for artistic expression of culture. This is done through paintings, drawings, photographs and sculptures submitted to the art show and also through live musical performances.
This year, there were renowned musicians and dancers representing many different cultures including those of Mexico, Spain, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia and Panama. This entertainment line-up was the most impressive to date and helped to draw the largest crowd that the event has seen.
The 2015 Night of Latin Culture was sponsored by many local organizations including the Foundations of East Chicago and South Shore Arts.
For more information on this year’s Night of Latin Culture, visit www.scclr.org or search #SCCLRNLC.
