Art, memory and ancient history mark Bulgarian children’s day in Las Vegas

The Bulgarian community in Las Vegas is organising a special gathering on 1 June to celebrate International Children’s Day. The event will bring together children, parents and former participants in an art class founded years ago by artist Violeta Velcheva. It is intended not only as a celebration of the holiday, but also as a reunion of a creative community that once connected Bulgarian children through art, games and educational projects.

Archival videos and photographs from the workshops will be shown during the event, documenting the years when children aged between 8 and 12 took part in a wide range of creative activities. They worked with different materials, developed their own projects and participated in a culinary workshop led by a Bulgarian chef from a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Many of the children are now teenagers, organisers say, and the idea is to bring them back together through shared memories and experiences.

“We would like to recreate the atmosphere of Vili’s art class here in Vegas for Children’s Day and invite all the parents and children who were part of it, so they can look back on some wonderful moments together. We’ll show videos, photographs and projects because many of the children have grown up, and some haven’t seen each other in years,” said Maria Samichkova, Radio Bulgaria’s Las Vegas correspondent and spokesperson for the Bulgarian-American Association of Nevada.

The organisation, which has spent the past 25 years building a sense of community among Bulgarians on the US West Coast, is co-organising the 2 June event together with the Las Vegas Book Club and the Together Social Club.

A special highlight of the programme will be a new documentary film produced in Bulgaria and presented to the Bulgarian community in Las Vegas. The film is dedicated to the Provadia Salt Pits, one of Europe’s most significant archaeological sites.

Created by students of Violeta Velcheva from the Bulgarian town of Chirpan, the project explores the history of the ancient site through a combination of children’s perspectives, scientific information and creative storytelling. The film is intended for distribution in Bulgarian schools in Bulgaria and Sunday schools abroad as an educational resource on Bulgarian history and cultural heritage.

“If someone has talent and experience in a particular field and doesn’t pass it on to the next generation, that’s a shame. That’s why, in America, I created this small group where I tried to teach children not only how to create, but also how to use technology as a tool for growth rather than just entertainment. I did the same thing in Bulgaria,” says Violeta Velcheva.

After years in the United States, Velcheva returned to Bulgaria to care for a sick parent, but working with children and art has remained her calling. Following a series of award-winning projects, her students in her hometown of Chirpan are now developing their public-speaking skills and, together with historians and researchers, presenting the story of the Provadia Salt Pits through film.

“The project about the Provadia Salt Pits is extremely important because it tells the story of one of the oldest civilisations on our lands. The children learned about the history, worked with experts, and are now telling the story themselves - how the site was discovered and what makes it so unique,” Velcheva says.

She says the goal is for the project to reach as wide an audience as possible, both in Bulgaria and abroad. There are already plans for the film to be screened in Bulgarian Sunday schools in the United States, Germany and France.

Its first international presentation, however, will take place in Las Vegas on 2 June as part of the Children’s Day celebrations. Organisers say the programme will also include several additional surprises for guests.

“We’re expecting an afternoon filled with cinema, smiles, creativity, and a touch of childhood magic,” they say. Visitors will also have the chance to watch two preview episodes of the popular Bulgarian animated series, The Twins. The series follows the adventures of two otters, Ida and Alec, who live in the Dragoman Marshes and learn important life lessons together.

For Bulgarians living abroad, 2 June will be a celebration not only for children, but also a way to connect generations of Bulgarians in two countries through art, education, and shared memories of Bulgaria.


Editor: Elena Karkalanova