A group representing Lehigh Valley residents of Bulgarian heritage, which withdrew plans this summer to build a gathering space near the Slate Belt after some residents complained, remains intent on finding a home in the region.
“We need a multifunctional center that would fulfill our needs as a community,” said Vaydin Soulev, vice president and a spokesperson of the nonprofit corporation BG-Social Learning Center.
“We never dropped our plans to build,” Soulev said during a brief interview on Labor Day, as group members were gathering for a holiday picnic at Wind Gap Park. “We want to build. We want to have a place for our community. We are a growing community and we need to facilitate all our needs, for youth programs, for cultural, education, social, religious programs.”
In July, the Bulgarian center’s attorney, Victor Scomillio, announced during a Bushkill Township zoning board meeting that the group was withdrawing plans to build a proposed Bulgarian learning center at Bady’s Grove, a longtime seafood and catering venue off Jacobsburg Road. No explanation was given then, but neighbors worried the center would bring increased traffic to the area, among other concerns.
In its application to the township, officials said its center would draw less traffic than Bady’s. The center’s community events would happen less frequently and bring 200-300 people, a similar amount to Bady’s Grove’s weekend catering events.
Center representatives were in talks with Bady’s Grove’s owners to buy the land, with plans for a two-story, 14,000-square-foot community and cultural center, a 2-acre cemetery, open space areas with walking paths and recreation areas, and parking.
At an earlier hearing for the cultural center before the plans were withdrawn, John Favere of Wind Gap said numerous people in the area share concerns about the legal implications associated with the cemetery, as well as uncertainty regarding religious activities associated with it based on reports of plans to build a mosque on the site.
“Wind Gap changed over the years with everyone moving in, and you don’t know who’s who anymore,” said Favere, who said he grew up in the Slate Belt borough next to Bushkill Township. “So the only concern I have is, what’s their end goal? Why do they need a cemetery?”
The property has returned to the real estate market; Bady’s Grove remains open and in operation.
‘We are part of the community’
The Bulgarians living in the Lehigh Valley came to the U.S. to escape communism, starting during the 1970s and ’80s, according to Soulev. He said similar communities have formed in New York, New Jersey and Chicago.
Many of the first wave of families came from the same part of the southeast European nation, from an area the size of the Lehigh Valley, according to a 2003 Morning Call article. The first families here sponsored other families, who went on to sponsor more families.
“It’s a safe environment for us and our families,” Soulev said, noting America is a land of freedom of religion. “That’s an important aspect for us and our families.”
Soulev said the group, which state records show was formed in 2011, doesn’t wish “to be portrayed in a negative light, because we are part of the community.”
He said the 150 or so families who comprise the center are educated, hardworking people, many of whom have lived predominantly in the Slate Belt for years.
As Soulev spoke during the Labor Day picnic, adults chatted, while some youngsters played soccer at a field next to picnic tables. Men who arrived early were grilling, while women laid out trays of food.
Soulev estimated 700-1,000 people would attend the picnic, which was scheduled to last into the night.
“We have a lot of children, a lot of young families. We need to build a place for our community,” he said. ” … We need to facilitate all our needs, for youth programs, for cultural, education, social, religious programs.”
On its most recent IRS 990 Form used by nonprofits, BG Social Learning Center listed Sunday school as its mission or most significant activity. It listed net assets of nearly $505,000 as of 2024, up from approximately $447,000 in its previous year.
Soulev said the group has been fundraising to move into a facility larger than its current one, which is in a business strip center off South Broadway (Route 512), in Wind Gap.
Despite the search for a bigger site, Soulev said, “We love Wind Gap. We love Bushkill Township. This is where we live, so it’s more convenient.”
The Slate Belt has been known for its blend of European heritages: Plainfield Township with its German and Dutch farmers; Bangor and Pen Argyl named after the Welsh miners who settled there; and the tiny borough of Roseto with one of the highest percentages of Italian-Americans in the nation.
Soulev said that could be a model for the Bulgarian community. He wishes Slate Belt leaders could facilitate finding a suitable property for a new center.
Contact Morning Call reporter Anthony Salamone at asalamone@mcall.com.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/29/lehigh-valley-bulgarians-center/
