The historic town of Shepherdstown will hold its 20th annual Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea the weekend of May 21 and 22. The event, which is sponsored by the Shepherdstown Community Club, will include a self-guided walking tour of some 20 private gardens rarely open to the public and an elegant afternoon tea at the War Memorial Building.

Shepherdstown has many interesting 18th- and early 19th-century homes, and many of the gardens on the Garden Tour will be located on the grounds of those homes.

The town will be hosting other garden-related activities both days, including a Native Plant Sale on Saturday and a Farmers’ Market on Sunday. Both days will also include a variety of other activities: live music, children’s events, carriage rides, displays by local artists, access to local historic sites and special spring menus at many local restaurants.

The Tour and Tea and all the other weekend activities will be held rain or shine.

Garden Tour hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The Teas will be offered from 12 noon to 4 p.m. each day.

Admission to both the Garden Tour and Tea will be $20 per person before May 17 and $25 after that. Advance tickets are available now at the following Shepherdstown stores: The Sweet Shop Bakery, Village Florist and Four Seasons Books. They can also be purchased online via Pay Pal at www.backalleygarden.org. During the weekend, tickets can be purchased at the War Memorial building. All proceeds will benefit the two important community assets the Community Club owns: the War Memorial Building and Morgan’s Grove Park.

The Saturday Native Plant Sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on King Street behind the library. Sponsored by the Potomac Valley Audubon Society, it will emphasize plants that benefit endangered pollinators like honeybees and butterflies, and it will include informational displays as well as vendors.

The Sunday Farmers Market will be held at its usual location from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All the weekend’s other activities will follow the same hours as the Garden Tour.