Volunteer Appreciation Month 2021 Kissimmee Kiwanis Club Volunteerism by civic organizations has been a major part of the community for decades. The Kissimmee Kiwanis Club organized in April 1925 with 44 members including business and professional men, all of them giving freely of their time and money to aid others in need. When a car load of dairy cows arrived by train in December 1930 […]
Charles Michael “Mike” Sikes was born on August 29, 1947, to Charles and Lila Sikes. Mike was the first of three sons born into the family. He enjoyed sports and played on the school basketball and football teams during most of his years at Osceola High School. He graduated from OHS in 1966 and attended Lake-Sumter Junior College before enlisting in the Army on December […]
Women’s History Month 2021 Lawler Twins: Lola and Lottie Which twin arrived in the world first is a mystery, but what is known is the Lawler twins left their mark in the community of Kissimmee, Florida. Lottie and Lola Lawler were born on May 15, 1888, in Wildwood, Florida, to circuit-riding Methodist minister, Rev. Samuel W. Lawler and his wife Mary. The family was in […]
Black History Month 2021 St. James AME Zion Church St. James African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church has existed since Osceola County’s earliest days. The exact year of the church’s founding varies according to available records. In the mid to late 1930s, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) paid people to compile reports of church histories. The WPA report states St. James AME Zion was constituted […]