Culture
Blooms

Our annual fundraising gala

Thursday September 10, 2026, 6-9 PM
Cavalli Hudson Valley

The Athens Cultural Center is thrilled to invite you to our 3rd annual fundraising Gala! Mark your calendars and join us for a fun, lively event benefitting ACC and the exhibitions, programs and events that help our community flourish and grow! The evening will feature catering by Dinosaur BBQ, entertainment by the Lou Pappas Jazz Trio and the centerpiece of the night - a live auction benefiting ACC’s programs. Embrace the spirit of the event and dress in your favorite floral-inspired clothing!

GET TICKETS

Carol Pfister

Celebrate our honorees

ACC is proud to introduce the Perennial Award, honoring an individual whose enduring contributions to the arts and cultural life of Athens make so many of our programs possible. This award was created for people like Carol, and it is with great pride that ACC names her our first honoree!

Carol's dedication to Athens touches nearly every corner of community life. A resident of Athens since 1997, she has been a steadfast ACC Board Member and its Treasurer and Bookkeeper for nearly twenty-five years, bringing to our organization the same financial acumen and meticulous care that defined her distinguished career as an auditor and manager with the U.S. Treasury Department. She is a founder of the much-loved Athens Victorian Stroll and has served for years as a leader at the D.R. Evarts Library and Community Action of Greene County, among others.

Her compassion extends far beyond any boardroom. Carol is the kind of person who shows up - warmly, reliably, and without fanfare. She delivers meals to homebound seniors, assists neighbors with income tax filings, and founded the Village of Athens Flower Program among other initiatives. Those of us who are lucky enough to know Carol are familiar with her gentle kindness, her humility, her dependability, her genuine interest in the people around her, and her willingness to quietly help out anywhere and at any time. Carol is always busy, but in the limited free time she has, she enjoys working in her garden and reading. Like the flowers she has so lovingly tended throughout our community, Carol's service has taken deep root and bloomed year after year, enriching the lives of all those around her.

Married to her husband Chris for fifty-eight years, who is frequently her partner in volunteer endeavors, Carol is, in every sense, the heart of this community. We are deeply honored to celebrate her and thank her for her selflessness, leadership, and dedication.

Denise McCarroll

As the operator of Seconds Restaurant in Athens, Denise McCarroll has built the kind of place where everybody knows your name. A mainstay of our main street, Seconds is familiar, comfortable, and dependably welcoming - a spot residents count on, and visitors instantly feel at home in. A lifelong Greene County resident, Denise got her start in hospitality as a young teenager working alongside her aunt, and she has never looked back. The work is hard, she'll tell you - especially while raising four children - but meeting and serving people is what makes it worthwhile.

Working closely with the Athens community, including the Athens Cultural Center, she has championed events that bring neighbors and visitors together, from meetings and parties to performances and cultural celebrations. Walk into Seconds on any given day, and you'll find her there - greeting regulars by name, making newcomers feel like friends, and showing up for her community with the same reliability she has offered throughout her career. That warm spirit doesn't stop at the door: Denise keeps the outside of Seconds just as inviting, with cheerful flowers, seasonal decorations, and welcoming lights that signal to passersby that something good is happening inside. Denise has woven herself into the very fabric of Athens and is a wonderful friend and neighbor of the ACC.

Salah Alygad

Chef Salah Alygad's story is one of remarkable determination and passion. Growing up in Alexandria, Egypt, he came to the United States as a young man without speaking a word of English. Through perseverance and a deep love of food, he navigated a new country, pursued his culinary education, and built a career spanning more than four decades - including service as a banquet chef at the United Nations, one of the most prestigious culinary postings in the world.

Salah met Denise over thirty years ago, and together they have established various successful restaurants throughout the Hudson Valley. As co-operator and executive chef of Seconds, he brings his extraordinary background to every plate, blending fine American cuisine with the Mediterranean influences of his Egyptian roots. His commitment to fresh ingredients, craftsmanship, and genuine hospitality has earned the admiration of residents and visitors alike, making Seconds a beloved cornerstone of the regional dining scene.

Salah’s story is a powerful reminder of how food can serve as both an art form and a bridge between people. His steadfastness, creativity, and commitment to a genuine dining experience have made Seconds a welcomed and valued part of Athens life, and a place that neighbors and visitors return to again and again.

Athens is a better, warmer, and more welcoming place because Denise and Salah are in it - and at its heart.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Whether you attend the gala, place an ad or message in the commemorative journal or make a donation to ACC, every act of support helps our community gather, imagine and create together!

Purchase Gala Tickets

Tickets for the Gala are available, get yours before the event sells out!

BUY NOW
From Your Heart to the Page

Recognize our honorees or ACC in the commemorative journal.

LEARN MORE
Support ACC

Make a donation to help sustain our community-enriching programming.

DONATE TODAY

From the Archives

Each year, our community gathers in celebration of the arts, creativity, and connection—investing in our shared creative future to sustain and grow accessible, year-round arts programming for all ages.

Our mission would not be possible without the support, dedication, and community spirit in Athens. Thank you.