Manuel Valverde Park becomes awash with people when the annual Relay for Life transforms the impeccable grounds into ground-zero for the fight against cancer.

Is cricket your game? Then Mossdale Landing Community Park – one of the only public parks this side of the Altamont with a cricket pitch – is the perfect spot for an afternoon match.

Looking for a gem that doesn’t quite draw the same amount of people as the previous two parks but still offers the same flawless dimension? Sangalang Park – which has been home to car shows and community football games – will surely strike your fancy.

And the list goes on.

In all the City of Lathrop has 70 acres of developed parkland with even more expected when large-scale development currently working its way through the process comes on line in the coming years.

“That’s really good for a small town, it’s quite an offering of different components,” said City of Lathrop Administrative Services Director Becky Enneking – who currently oversees the Parks and Recreation Department. “I think that our population is very happy with what is that we have to offer.”

And things just keep getting better.

Inside of the next year the Generations Center – the Lathrop Teen Center and community complex that broke ground earlier this year – will add a new dimension of community offerings when an amphitheater and a community garden and other perks augment what residents already enjoy.

And that’s just one stand-alone project – not even taking into account the parks that are going to be included when development at River Islands really starts humming.

While the entire community being built on the outskirts of Lathrop is only required to add 90 total acres of park space, current plans call for 25 percent above that so that residents can enjoy the lush, green segments that serve as much more as just a segment of open space.

“It’s an important part of where you live because you need to have a place where you can take your family,” said Lathrop resident Michael Martinez. “I think that we have that here. You can see how much use they get during the summer, and all of the different ways that people use them. It makes a big difference when you can just walk across the street and not have to leave to get what you’re looking for.”