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Rain or shine: Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea draws crowd to Shepherdstown over weekend

By Courtney Bell - For the Chronicle | May 26, 2023

Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea attendees enjoy a high tea together in the War Memorial Building on Sunday. Toni Milbourne

SHEPHERDSTOWN — This past Saturday and Sunday, the Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC) once again held their Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea.

Every third weekend in May, this annual event is a “self-guided walking tour of some of the most beautiful gardens in Shepherdstown,” according to the SCC. This was an event where families with children, groups of friends and even individuals on their own are able to come together to cherish some unforgettable moments.

Attendees were provided with a brochure that included descriptions of the gardens, the activities that were happening that weekend, and a map of the houses to see the gardens and where they were located. Signs were also placed by the homes and gardens on the tour, to further assist attendees as they toured. On the brochure, a “Bonus Gardens” section led attendees to view even more gardens than were on this year’s tour, if they so desired, by taking them to gardens that had been featured on previous years’ tours.

In the War Memorial Building, where tickets to the event were being sold on both days of the event, there was an art exhibit from The Friday Painters being held in conjunction with the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea. After buying their tickets, many tour attendees took the opportunity to view locally created paintings by this group, on the first floor of the building. Members of The Friday Painters were on-hand to give insight into each work.

SCC President Jennifer Wabnitz sat down on the last day to share her thoughts and feelings on the event itself.

A group of Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea attendees listen to insight from the Garden of the Four Sisters' homeowner on Sunday. Toni Milbourne

“I have a lot of fun! I get all kinds of people to help me, and it seems that the more people you get involved, the more energy that comes to the project,” Wabnitz said.

At the end of touring, many attendees returned to the War Memorial Building to sit down for a high tea with their fellow attendees, while listening to a live band perform. A number of local Girl Scout and Boy Scout troop members helped with waiting and serving tables at the high tea, according to Wabnitz.

This event brought various people together for the weekend; strangers become acquaintances, who then become friends, according to one attendee.

“My group and I have been strangers for two hours, and now we act like we’ve known each other for years!” the attendee said.

In addition, families with children were able to enjoy spending hours outdoors together, smelling the roses and spotting the beautiful statues hidden within many of Shepherdstown’s gardens.

For more information about upcoming events, visit the Shepherdstown Community Club Facebook page and the SCC website, https://sites.google.com/shepherdstowncc.org/scc/home. All the funds from this and the group’s other fundraising events go towards caring for its two historic properties: the War Memorial Building and Morgan’s Grove Park.