Families decorate sugar skulls at Arlington Heights library

Children and their families celebrated Hispanic culture Sunday by decorating sugar skulls with colorful icing, glitter and feathers at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

The educational event was put on by the Waukegan-based Academia Cultural Xilotl in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Organizers explained the meaning behind the decorative skulls and their association with the upcoming Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

"We wanted to have a family-oriented activity that could be broad-reaching and also help our community members learn a little bit more about the traditions celebrated across Latin American countries and by many Latino families in the United States," said Maria del Carmen Cifuentes, the library's bilingual specialty services adviser.

This is the first year the library is hosting events for Hispanic Heritage Month, Cifuentes said. Other programs included a college preparation workshop last week and a hands-on college program this week for teens and their families.