Dozens Gobble Up Offer of Turkey Day Togetherness

--Peg Ohmer thought her Thanksgiving was going to be a real turkey when husband, Paul, learned that he had to be in Taiwan on business for the holiday. And, with her son and other relatives scattered around the country, the St. Clair, Pa., woman had just about resigned herself to being one lonely pilgrim when she got a plan. She called up the Pittsburgh Press and took out an ad that read: “Will be alone on Thanksgiving Day. Let’s go to church and dinner.” The next day, Ohmer had nearly two dozen replies from throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Now her problem is finding a restaurant that can handle the crowd. Most of those who offered to join her are widows and widowers, some of whom recently lost their spouses, Ohmer said. Others are new to the Pittsburgh area. “It’s going to be fun. And knowing I helped keep someone from spending the day alone is going to make me feel wonderful,” she said.

--Juniors at Buena High School in Ventura were bored by the thought of one more car wash. But, if the idea of cars didn’t wash, the concept of a canine clip joint did. The ingenious “doggie wash” netted the students $185 for their upcoming prom--and a lot of fleas. “This is a lot easier than washing cars and a lot more fun. Dogs are more interesting than cars,” said 16-year-old Matt Botke. Botke and 11 other students soaped, rinsed, blow-dried and primped about 100 canines. Bulldogs, the breed of the school mascot, got special attention, and all the dogs received a misting of Giorgio cologne.

--From Nicholas Daniloff the spotlight has moved to daughter Miranda, 23, who was seen Tuesday night in an episode of the “Jack and Mike” television series. The daughter of the U.S. News & World Report correspondent who was detained in the Soviet Union on charges of spying has also appeared in the TV miniseries “Peter the Great” and is performing in Chicago in a stage production, “Diggory’s Rag and Other Tales,” a light musical about life in Appalachia’s hillbilly country.

--The newest in a growing fleet of Hard Rock Cafes opened in Dallas, where comedian Dan Aykroyd did a solo Blues Brother routine to inaugurate the shrine to rock ‘n’ roll. Aykroyd owns the club with Isaac Burton Tiggrett, who opened the first Hard Rock Cafe in London in 1971. Chuck Berry and Carl Perkins were there for the opening and the decor includes guitars and memorabilia from Frank Zappa, Keith Richards, Ted Nugent, Buddy Holly and John Lennon.