Art & Culture

Carolina Smales (Latino Festival Art& Culture Director) joins Yolanda Puyana (Founder of HACIENDA) to talk about the Latino Festival 2017 at channel WBDJ7

For more than a decade, huge crowds of people have gathered at Elmwood Park to celebrate Hispanic heritage at the Roanoke Latino Festival with music, food, dancing, and more.

“It’s always been the opportunity that we the Latino community have to celebrate our heritage,”said Organizer Carolina Smales.

Carolina Smales is the art and culture director for non-profit group Hacienda, who organizes the event each year. She says they want to not only celebrate their culture but also share it.

Several Culture writers from PERSUNALITY contribute to the Latin Corner of the Colors VA magazine. Check out this article “Holding on to my heritage” by Carolina Smales, describing her journey as an immigrant while celebrating her Hispanic roots