District 4 race smaller by one

Republican Lester Centurion last week dropped out of the Osceola County Commission district 4 race.

Still in the race as of Wednesday morning were Republicans Frank Attkisson, Melani Jane Davis, Donald A. Shroyer and Melvin Welch. Remaining Democrats are Bob Healy Jr. and Donald Miers. Joseph Cólon is running with no party affiliation.

Qualifying for the election began Monday and ends Friday. The primary election will be Aug. 24, while the general election will be Nov. 2. All district 4 candidates except Cólon will be on the primary ballot.

City election lottery to be Friday

The city of Kissimmee Office of the City Clerk has announced that the qualifying period is under way for candidates vying for commission seats 2 and 4.

The qualifying period will close at noon Friday. The city clerk will then conduct a lottery at 2 p.m. to determine the order in which the names of candidates for the two seats will appear on the ballot.

The lottery is open to the public and will take place in the city clerk’s office on the fifth floor of Kissimmee City Hall, 101 N. Church St.

The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24.

Kip A. Smith filed Tuesday to run in the seat 2 race. Candidates in this race, besides Smith, include John Cortes, James Fisher, Carlos Irizarry, Wanda Rentas and Jeanne Van Meter.

For more information, contact the city clerk at 407-518-2308.

Food drive for Help Now of Osceola

The Leadership Osceola Class of 2010 this week is conducting a food drive to assist Help Now of Osceola.

Drop-off sites for canned food items or gift cards during business hours are: Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce, 1425 Vine St., Kissimmee; and St. Cloud Greater Osceola Chamber of Commerce, 1200 New York Ave., St Cloud.

Help Now of Osceola provides safe shelter and empowers survivors of domestic and sexual violence through counseling and advocacy while promoting violence-free living through community awareness. The center provides safety for more than 50 people daily.

Leadership Osceola is a program operated by Community Vision and provides community leaders an extensive understanding of the resources that exist within the county. The program runs annually and each class is encouraged to participate in a project to benefit the community. The class will present all items collected and raised for the organization at its graduation Friday.

For more information on the food drive or the Leadership Osceola program, contact Donna Sines of Community Vision at 407-933-0870.

Tot Lot to open Friday

The city of Kissimmee Parks and Recreation Department will host a ribbon cutting for the North Kissimmee Tot Lot at 10 a.m. Friday.

The public is invited to attend the event, which will be at 2025 McLaren Circle in the north Kissimmee neighborhood.

This project is a result of the North Kissimmee Neighborhood Planning process and a request from the members of the Citizens’ Advisory Committee, who worked with staff from the Development Services Department to complete the project, according to Carla Banks, city spokeswoman.

The Tot Lot is made possible due to the hours dedicated by the staff from the Parks and Recreation Department, who built the playground, Banks said.

The ribbon cutting will include refreshments, music, balloons, face painting and an opportunity for youngsters to explore the new playground.