Turkey tales wanted

Thanksgiving dinner is one of those occasions that makes Murphy's Law necessary. If something can go wrong, it will. If you've ever tackled the logistics of putting on a holiday meal, you already know that. But what you may not have suspected is that the holiday disaster that embarrassed you in front of family and friends can be worth a free dinner worth $100. That's right. For the second consecutive year, Straus Newspapers is soliciting the best n or worst, as the case may be n stories of Thanksgiving feasts gone awry. The five stories judged the best by the editors of the eight papers in the Straus chain will earn their authors $100 dinners at the restaurants of their choice. Last year's contest drew dozens of entries. We heard about exploding turkeys, raw turkeys, burned turkeys, turkeys with oven mitts inside, and turkeys that the cat sank its fangs into. We published many of the letters, featuring the five winners in our special Thanksgiving issue. It was so much fun, we decided to do it again. So if you didn't enter last year, or if you did and have another story to tell, type it up and send it in. After all, what's the use of being embarrassed in front of the in-laws if you can't get a free meal out of it? The only requirement is that the stories be centered on Thanksgiving. They can involve guests that didn't arrive or birds that caught fire or gravy that came out with lumps that would have been mistaken for shredded tires if they had had a bit more flavor. Or maybe your dinner was perfect, but when your friend arrived with her new boyfriend, he turned out to be your sister's ex-husband. Or when Uncle Harry leaned back to stretch after a second helping of pumpkin pie, the chair collapsed under him. And if you happen to be that one person who has never made a mistake in the kitchen in your life, don't despair. You can still win a great dinner that you don't have to cook by spilling the beans n or the cranberry sauce n on a friend of relative who never gets everything quite right. The rules are simple. Keep your entries to 400 words n about the length of this story. The editors of the eight Straus Newspapers will pick the five winners of $100 dinners at any restaurant within our circulation area. That's most of Sussex County, N.J., and Orange County, N.Y. Employees of Straus Newspapers may submit stories but aren't eligible for prizes. Deadline for entries is Monday, Nov. 8. E-mail your stories to contests@strausnews.com, fax them to 973-300-0418, or mail them to Straus Newspapers, 33-D Wilson Drive, Sparta, NJ, 07871.