By GENEVIEVE SUZUKI | La Mesa Courier

We have a lot to revel in La Mesa. We have a warm city, inside and out. Our community isn’t too big or small, and, to borrow from Goldilocks, “It’s just right.”

It’s no secret one of my favorite things about our city is its parks. They’re fresh, fun and free, which means, as a mother to two young children, they’re always included in the mix when mulling over weekend activities.

Shucks, I love our green grassy venues so much there was no question where we were going to throw my rambunctious 4-year-old’s birthday party: Aztec Park, a hidden gem off Baltimore Drive. I didn’t have to worry about whether things were being cleaned enough to ward off disease while the little kids ran, jumped and swung everywhere before gobbling up pizza and chocolate cupcakes. (Crumbs are OK at parks, another reason to dig the great outdoors.)

This year, the La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation turns 20. Established in 1999, the organization facilitates projects and programs in our local parks. New playgrounds and summer concerts and movies are just a few items on its monthly agenda.

To commemorate its 20th anniversary, the foundation is holding its annual fundraiser, La Mesa Rocks, July 20, at the Seaside Room in Marina Village. Guests are being asked to don formal white party attire.

As it has in previous years, the night will feature a special guest. It makes sense to toast a native son, who likely used La Mesa park facilities when he was a kid: Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Walton, a Helix High School graduate and UCLA alum who played professionally for the Portland Trailblazers, the San Diego Clippers and the Boston Celtics.

At just $50 a pop, the party is a steal. There’ll be glitzy cocktails, delicious eats and dancing by the bay. (Picture the same kind of party I threw my preschooler except for adults so, instead of pizza and cupcakes, it’s adult bites and the Kool-Aid has more of a kick.) I can’t think of a better way to get down with the people who help make our city live up to its nickname of “The Jewel of the Hills.”

Visit lamesaparks.org to buy tickets or for more information about La Mesa Park & Recreation Foundation’s La Mesa Rocks. The event will be July 20 from 6 to 11 p.m. at the Seaside Room at Marina Village, 1970 Quivera Way, San Diego.

— Genevieve A. Suzuki is a local attorney who lives and works in La Mesa.