RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with a September Makers Market that featured family-friendly activities, hands-on crafts and more! On Friday, Sept. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the VM HC hosted an early celebration of community, culture and local shopping for Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The free event included face painting, crafts and the ArtesRVA Market that supported local Latino-owned businesses and artists. Attendees also had free after-hours access to the VMHC museum. (Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News)(Kyler Gilliam/8News) "It's really refreshing to see people appreciate Latino Culture, especially with how discouraging the times have been nowadays," said Helen Bodde, co-creator of Artes RVA. "So there there was people dancing, there was people getting to know the vendors and, you know, socializing, making connections and that's really what the project is about. There were 14 vendors at the market, along with several Latino DJs and other musical acts. ...read more read less