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20th Annual Shepherdstown Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea

May 20, 2017 @ 10:00 am - may 21, 2017 @ 4:00 pm.

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Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea

Posted on March 28, 2012 |

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Back Alley Garden Tour And Tea

Elegant Gardens, ATea Party and Art Show

Historic Shepherdstown, WV

May22 - 23, 2010

Come see why over 500 people last year enjoyedthe charm of the past while being inspired by today's gardens. View local artists' painting as you sip tea from fine china. Enjoy homemade sweets and savories.  Shop in uniquie, quaintstores lining the main street.  Dine in one of the manyoutstanding restaurants.

Come and enjoy our town

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Visit www.backalleygarden.org

Event sponsored by Shepherdstown Men's Club

Proceedsbenefit Morgan's Grove Park and the War Memorial Building

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2023 Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea

Sat May 20 2023 at 10:00 am

The War Memorial Building | Shepherdstown, WV

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Hundreds visit Shepherdstown for 22nd Annual Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea

By staff | may 24, 2019.

Winnie Bernat, of Shepherdstown, takes a break from helping with the Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea in the Shepherdstown Community Club on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The 22nd Annual Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea started with a bang on Saturday, as sunny skies and temperate weather promised attendees a pleasant day exploring 14 gardens in downtown Shepherdstown.

Held by the Shepherdstown Community Club, the event once again attracted hundreds of visitors to town on the two days it was being held, Saturday and Sunday.

“It looks like we’ve had maybe 350 people on the tour today. We’re on track for 450-500 people this weekend,” said SCC Treasurer Mike Kohut on Saturday afternoon. “Four hundred seventy-nine people has been our best showing in the past.”

According to SCC President Nancy Stewart, proceeds from this year’s event will continue to support maintenance of the War Memorial Building and Morgan’s Grove Park.

“I would say this was a great success. We were just busy since the time we were opened,” Stewart said, mentioning SCC’s intentional marketing of the event draws attendees from Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. “As you can see, we have people come from a long ways away just to come to this event.

Karen Glennon, left, of Shepherdstown, talks with Lori Robertson, as Robertson prepares her garden for visitors with the Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea on Saturday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“People like this time of year, going and seeing gardens. We have such terrific gardens in town,” Stewart said. “It seems like a natural combination, of gardens and tea.”

While local flowers bloomed outside in many of the tour stops, they were also featured during the tea, thanks to the work of Meg Spurlin and Sheila Vertino, who collected flowers from local gardens and created floral arrangements with them.

“I collect many of the flowers from my own garden, but then other very generous people from the community let me collect from their gardens, also,” Spurlin said, mentioning she has helped as a flower arranger and docent with the event for many years. “Flowers have always been my passion, and I grow flowers a lot. I love arranging them.”

For a few attendees on Saturday’s tour, the event was an opportunity to celebrate a late Mother’s Day together.

“I just thought it would be a great way to see the town and spend time together — it’s a belated Mother’s Day,” said Alison Preston, of Boonesboro, Maryland, who came with her mother, Joan Heft, of Frederick, Maryland, and grandmother, Barbara Heft, of Walkersville, Maryland.

The Princess Street Urban Garden, located at 102 S. Princeess Street, was featured on the tour as an example of organic, urban gardening. Tabitha Johnston

While many of the servers, kitchen staff and garden docents were SCC members, the event has turned into a community event, with two Shepherdstown Middle School students and other Shepherdstown residents pitching in to help with the tea or offer their gardens as tour stops.

According to SCC member Winnie Bernat, while the tour draws many visitors from outside of Shepherdstown, it can be of a more practical use for Shepherdstown residents.

“New people in town, if they’re interested in growing flowers in their gardens, this is the place to come, because they can see what thrives here,” Bernat said, mentioning a second reason viewing local gardens can help new gardeners. “A lot of us have clay soil, and not everything grows in it.”

Back Alley Garden Tour visitors to the Brown House's garden, located at 105 S. King Street, took in the garden's manicured landscaping, which also featured a portion of Town Run. Tabitha Johnston

Some families made a day of the Back Alley Garden Tour and Tea festivities, including from left, Alison Preston, of Boonesboro, Maryland; Barbara Heft, of Walkersville, Maryland; and Joan Heft, of Frederick, Maryland. Tabitha Johnston

Havin’ a hoppy time: Easter Bunny, spring chicken take to German Street with return of all pre-pandemic Easter events

Spring Peep Show returns after decade hiatus to Shepherdstown

‘To market, to market’: Shepherdstown Farmers Market opens for 34th season on South King Street

SHEPHERDSTOWN’S BACK ALLEY GARDEN TOUR MAY 21-22

You’ve already heard a bit of news about Frederick’s tour, but if you’ve never made the gorgeous drive to Shepherdstown and experienced its bohemian university town atmosphere with a fine arts flair, you’ve truly missed out. The Back Alley Garden Tour is a special one, highlighting private gardens that capture the coolness and quirkiness that is Shepherdstown.

If you’re looking for a place to eat afterwards, check out The Blue Moon Cafe and order their artichoke dip, and make sure you give yourself enough time to go back in time at O’Hurley’s General Store.

This from the Back Alley Garden Tour website :

Stone, bone, iron and water are the basic elements of towns like this. 250 years of history in 1.5 square miles creates an infusion of ancient and modern, immaculate cultivation and playful wildness. Enjoy dooryard gardens and backyard retreats, with merchants and homeowners sharing a unique, wonderful esthetic for all things that grow; a tradition as alive today as at the founding of our town. Enjoy unlimited visits to these gardens over the two days along with admission to one Tea. Leave with great memories and loads of ideas for your own space. Many local merchants are planning specials to entice you to stay for dinner and spend the evening listening to jazz, Appalachian Folk or myriad eclectic musical talent, from classical to modern.

Worth it.  Very worth it. Ticket information here.

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About the author: marianne willburn.

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More About the Tour

The Shepherdstown Community Club will be hosting its annual spring fundraiser! The Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea (BATT), always the third weekend in May, is a self-guided walking tour of some of the most beautiful gardens in Shepherdstown, WV. It's a chance to walk through the back alleys of town where you will find new ideas for your garden, learn some history or bump into one of the local Townies.

After finishing up the tour, head back to The War Memorial Building for an afternoon tea party you won't forget! This elegant tea party is the best way to relax, talk about your favorite gardens while enjoying hot or cold tea served in fine china cups and saucers  with some of the yummiest savories and sweets made by the best club bakers! After the tea, feel free to visit your favorite gardens again or stroll through the shops in town. We are also happy to be featuring The Friday Night Painters who will have their work on display downstairs in The Gallery.

Purchase tickets at The Shepherdstown Farmers Market or on our website . Price includes one Tea Service and unlimited access to the gardens during the Tour.

The BATT is a fundraiser sponsored by the Shepherdstown Community Club. Proceeds go toward maintaining and restoring the War Memorial Building and Morgan’s Grove Park which serves greater Shepherdstown as a meeting place and venue for numerous special events and activities.

For more information or any questions please call (304) 876-3323. Reach out if you would like to volunteer!

Earth Day, May Day, and Back Alley Garden and Tea Tour Highlight Spring 2015 in Shepherdstown

Simply put: there’s no better place to bring in a West Virginia spring than Shepherdstown. The perfect blend of history, nature, food, and festival makes Shepherdstown an undeniable attraction for visitors and locals – especially for those who’ve been cooped up during the cold months, and need a little R&R in one of West Virginia’s most accommodating destinations.

Spring in Shepherdstown is heavy on festivals, and perhaps no better combination of events defines the diversity and appreciation for community than this beloved trio: The Annual Earth Day Celebration, May Day, and the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea.

Suffice it to say, if it pertains to celebrating and nurturing the great Mother Earth, you’ll experience it at Shepherdstown’s unforgettable Earth Day Celebration.

And don’t think they overlook the tunes. Music at this year’s event will feature: Tabasco Bustelo, Dawgone, Giant Souls, Kipyn Martin, Betty and the B’s, Jamie Gregory, Safe Harbor, and Cirque.

Morgan’s Grove Park is located on Rt. 480 South, just outside of Shepherdstown. You can’t miss it if you head south leaving Shepherdstown. For additional information on the festival, visit pedc.earthvibeproductions.com . All proceeds go to the bands and to the park.

Saturday, May 2, 2015, the downtown area of Shepherdstown comes alive with the annual May Day Parade and the wrapping of the Maypole on Shepherd University’s McMurran lawn in the center of town.

The parade starts at 12pm (lineup is on Church St. beginning at 11:30am), and moves festively down German Street to the delight of townspeople and visitors alike lining the sidewalks for a better look. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early in order to catch some pre-parade entertainment, as well a good spot from which to participate. 

The family-friendly event culminates at McMurran lawn, where the distinguished 22-foot-tall Maypole, which is set up that morning as the sun rises, is woven with celebratory ribbons, amid music, dancing, and festivity.

At the War Memorial Building (Community Club – 102 East German St.), a Contra Dance workshop begins at 7:30pm. Participants are encouraged to bring clean, soft-soled shoes. All are welcome, and admission is $7 for members over age 12, $10 for nonmembers over age12, and $5 for dancers under 12.

For more information, visit www.smad.us or call 304-263-2531.

May 16 & 17

Just two short weeks after May Day, Shepherdstown is once again abuzz within the full bloom of a town-wide celebration – in this case, the Back Alley Garden Tour & Tea on Saturday, May 16, from 10am–4pm, and Sunday, May 17, from 11am–4pm. The Tea Party runs from 12 noon–4pm both days, as well.

This rain-or-shine, one-of-a-kind annual event allows participants from near and far to view the private gardens of historic Shepherdstown. The Garden Tour & Tea allows folks an exclusive look at dooryard gardens and backyard retreats, with merchants and homeowners sharing a unique, wonderful esthetic for all things that grow – a tradition as alive today as at the time of the town’s founding.

Admission to one Tea allows for unlimited visits to the many participating gardens throughout Shepherdstown. And in addition to this much-anticipated event, many Shepherdstown merchants will be planning specials to entice visitors to stay for lunch, dinner, and even spend the evening listening to jazz, Appalachian Folk, or myriad eclectic musical talent, from classical to modern. Within minutes of starting the tour, participants will know why, year after year, people arrive in Shepherdstown to enjoy the charm of the past while being inspired by local art, lovely tea and homemade sweets, unique shops, delicious dining, and of course, the unforgettable gardens. 

For more information, and to reserve tickets, visit www.backalleygarden.org .