Moore County Democrats are planning a fundraiser picnic for their county commissioner candidate Terry Marquez.

The event will be held Saturday, July 29, from 5 until 8 p.m. at 305 East New York Ave. in Southern Pines. For more information, interested persons can call Jim Renberg or Sue Young at 695-1370.

Marquez, a public school librarian and former member of the Aberdeen Town Board, is the Democrats' only candidate for the Moore County Board of Commissioners this year. She is running for the District 5 seat, now held by Republican Commissioner Michael R. Holden, who did not seek re-election. She will face Republican Jimmy Melton in the November general election.

SEVEN LAKES -- Seven Lakes leaders are promoting a program dubbed "Village Tomorrow" to attract new businesses to satisfy "more and more customers in this rapidly growing community."

That's the language used by Phil Cook and Dave Kinney in announcing a second community input meeting to be held Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m. at the Seven Lakes North Clubhouse. Cook is president of the Seven Lakes Business Guild, which initiated the movement with assistance from the Civic Group, headed by Kinney.

At their kickoff meeting in late June, village leaders discussed development of the Village Tomorrow plan. Those attending that session discussed their "vision of the future business village" and voiced ideas for specific steps and actions needed to turn that vision into reality, according to the sponsors.

Residents and business owners attended the first meeting, and Cook and Kinney say these people are encouraged to attend the July 27 meeting. They want others living at Seven Lakes or with an interest in the unincorporated community to attend, including property owners who live elsewhere in the county.

VETERANS -- Flags have been raised and the center monument, topped by an eagle, has been installed at the Moore County Veterans Memorial in Carthage.

The marble slab bearing the names of almost 150 Moore County men and women killed in military action is to be installed next week.

Raymond Doby, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee, said the list of other veterans will be dispatched on Aug. 1 for engraving on other monuments marking the site. That's also the deadline to add names to be engraved on the memorial slabs if the names are to be listed in alphabetical order.

Doby said the committee will continue to add names to the memorial for years to come, but the first names will be listed in alphabetical order, a service that will not be possible after the initial slabs are engraved and erected.

Anyone wishing to add the name of a veteran is advised to call the Moore County Veterans Service Office. A $30 fee is charged for each name. However, the names of veterans killed in action are engraved without charge.

The memorial is located on county property adjacent to the building housing the Department of Social Services and other county agencies in the Carriage Oaks complex at the intersection of U.S. 15-501 and N.C. 24-27 in Carthage.

CUMMINGS -- David Cummings, chairman of the Moore County Board of Commissioners, will act as the board's voting delegate to the 2006 conference of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

The conference will be held Sept. 7-10 in Forsyth County. The board voted unanimously to appoint the chairman at the July 17 meeting.

Florence Gilkeson can be reached at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.