Free Fun For All Ages, Coming Up This Month All kinds of free events are coming up in the next few weeks, including opera in Washington Market Park and Sheryl Crow in Battery Park, a family party, a kids festival and Memorial Day Weekend concerts at the South Street Seaport. Saturday, May 18: Ground Hero Kids spring picnic and family party Enjoy a picnic inside the former firehouse at 87 Lafayette Street, at the corner of White Street. Ground Hero Kids, an organization founded by Tribeca residents in the aftermath of Sept. 11, is turning the firehouse into a garden, with sunflowers and 2,000 square feet of grass, for a family party to celebrate spring. The Drummers’ Circle, an Israeli group of drummers and percussionists, will perform, and there will be a DJ, arts and crafts, face painters and other entertainment. Bring your own picnic lunch to eat on the "lawn" while you listen to music. The event runs from noon to 3 p.m. Ground Hero Kids, which organized a party for downtown children at the firehouse in September and an outdoor concert at the Citigroup building on Greenwich Street in October, is trying to raise funds to turn the firehouse into a community cultural center. For more information, call 888-996-KIDS or go to www.groundherokids.com. The group also seeks volunteers to help with the party. Saturday, May 18: Opera in the park For its 10th annual Opera in the Park, the Borough of Manhattan Community (BMCC) College Downtown Symphony will perform Gaetano Donizetti’s "Don Pasquale" in Washington Market Park, at Greenwich and Chambers streets, at 3 p.m. Douglas Anderson, chairman of BMCC’s music and art department, conducts the orchestra comprised of students and faculty members. Admission is free. For more information, call 220-1464. Sundays, May 19 through June 30: Kids Fest The Embassy Suites Hotel, at 102 North End Avenue in Battery Park City, is hosting a program of live performances for children, starting on May 19 and continuing every Sunday through June 30. Each event will begin at 1 p.m. in the hotel’s atrium, and last for 60 to 90 minutes. The free fun includes snacks. The series kicks off with Circus Minimus: The One-Man Circus in a Suitcase, and singer-songwriter Louie who will perform original and traditional children’s songs. On May 26 The Big Nazo Show, a musical show by larger-than-life-sized characters, comes to town, and Justin Roberts sings on June 2. Friday, May 24–Monday, May 27: Memorial Day Weekend Celebration at the South Street Seaport The Seaport comes alive with music over Memorial Day Weekend with a series of free concerts. On Friday evening, The Verdict plays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Tribal Legacy performs from 12:30 to 2:30, a band to be named plays from 3–4 p.m., and Matt Witte New Blood Revival takes the stage from 4 to 6 p.m. On Sunday, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. The Mix (probable) plays, a band to be named performs from 3 to 4:30 p.m., and George Gee and the Jump Jive Wailers (probable) play from 5 to 7 p.m.. Finally, The Mark Pender Band plays on Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. For updated information, go to www.southstreetseaport.com. Thursday, May 30: Sheryl Crow In one of the kick-off events for the summerlong Downtown NYC River to River Festival, Sheryl Crow performs an outdoor concert on the lawn in historic Battery Park. The concert is free but tickets are required for admission to the park. Ticketing information will be available on May 20 on the festival’s website, www.rivertorivernyc.org. No coolers, bags or other enclosed packages allowed in the park.