A couple of Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea attendees take a look at a frog on the banks of a pond on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Seven-year-old Ava Gorman carried a tray of cucumber sandwiches to a table in the ballroom of the War Memorial Building on Sunday afternoon, as she and her fellow Girl Scouts helped serve tea as part of the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea.

This was the fourth year Girl Scout Service Unit 1508 — comprised of Jefferson County’s Girl Scout troops — ran the tea party.

“It’s a great opportunity for service,” said Girl Scout Service Unit 1508 leadership team member Angelina Gray. “They’re learning some life skills through interaction with people, such as organization and customer service.”

The party environment of the tea ensured the Girl Scouts had an enjoyable time while working, as was the case for seven-year-old Isabel Boggess.

“I helped today and yesterday from one o’clock to three o’clock,” Boggess said, mentioning this was one of her favorite service projects. “Serving it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed practicing for this, too, and got to try a lot of the food!”

Seven-year-old Ava Gorman waits on a table in the War Memorial Building’s ballroom on Sunday afternoon, at the end of the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea. Tabitha Johnston

Gray noted that the collaboration between Girl Scout Service Unit 1508 and the Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC), which runs the annual event as a fundraiser to care for the club’s historic properties, began after she joined the SCC and learned of the need for volunteers.

According to SCC President Jennifer Wabnitz, the popularity of the event has proven to remain consistent. Last year boasted around 800 tickets sold, with a similar number being sold again this year.

“Gardeners love to come on the tour to get ideas and see plants that they haven’t seen before and talk to each other,” said Master Gardener Kay Byers, who has served as a docent on the tour for many years.

“I like to see how the gardens have changed over the years! When I first started volunteering, some of these gardens were very slim and there wasn’t much in them. Then they get progressively better or they change owners, and the owners completely change them!”

Some of those gardeners came all the way from Australia, including Rob and Lorraine McAlpine, who were on the tour with Rob’s sister, Shepherdstown resident Leisa Gregor.

A man takes a closer look at a garden on the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

“They are visiting from Australia and it happened to be here this weekend!” Gregor said. “This is really magical, to come into town to see this [with them].”

Lorraine completely agreed with Gregor.

“When we get back home, I’m going to have to transform my garden!” Lorraine said, though she noted that her gardening inspiration would have to be limited by the fact that many plants that grow easily in Shepherdstown would struggle to survive in Australia’s climate.

“This has really given us the opportunity to meet a lot of the local people here and see their fabulous homes with their fabulous gardens,” Rob said. “What a lovely little community this is!”

A highlight of this year’s event was the addition of plein air art being painted in the gardens by the Maryland-based Goldfinch Studio Painters. At the end of the event, those completed paintings were displayed at The Bridge Gallery, in conjunction with an exhibit through the month of May featuring works by celebrated painter Walt Bartman and the Goldfinch Studio Painters. Other artistic aspects could be spotted throughout the tour, including sculptures incorporated into the gardens, local artists’ studios being opened to the public and an initiative by the Art Without Motives Collective to have attendees write down the inspiration they received from the gardens and hanging those comments on a fence for others to read.

Plein Aire paintings created by the Goldfinch Studio Painters sit completed in one of the gardens participating in the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

While these artistic additions undoubtedly drew some to the tour who might have otherwise not attended, SCC Secretart Steve Wabnitz largely attributed the tour’s continued success to changes made in recent years to increase its walkability by tour organizer James Puglisi.

“He’s the one who suggested we split the city into three parts,” Steve said. “So every three years, these houses will all be on the tour. It gives the gardeners a break and allows the gardens to be concentrated, so people don’t have to walk as far. It just made a lot more sense.”

Attendees of the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea wander through a garden along New Street on Sunday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston