Queens Tribune

The City of New York Parks and Recreation Department wants you outside this year, and with a full schedule of free events throughout Queens, they’re making sure you don’t have any excuses.

parks kicked off its warm-weather festivities Tuesday with an Earth Day celebration at Alley Pond Park, where local children were treated to storytelling from environmentally themed children’s books, arts and crafts and a gorgeous spring day.

On May 4, Alley Pond Park will also host the Pets and Pals Party from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., where visitors can adopt new pets or bring their own for a day of pet oriented activities and performances.

The events will continue through the summer and into the fall, wrapping up with Halloween celebrations in October.

The parks events will range from family affairs for the little ones to complete outdoor theatrical productions. The Moosehall Theatre will perform “Romeo and Juliet” on June 15 and “El Zorro - The Curse of Capistrano” at 7 p.m. July 27 at the Fort Totten Parade Grounds. The Plaza Theatrical Production will also stage a performance of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” on Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. in Alley Pond Park.
Queens parks will also host three concert events, the Annual Lawn Concert at Fort Totten on June 29, the “Squeaky Clean” family concert at Alley Pond Park on July 13 and the Big Band Concert at Crocheron Park on Sept. 14.
For more information about the event season, contact the parks department at (718) 352-4793 or visit

www.nycgovparks.org.