Web posted on: Friday, November 26, 1999 11:53:01 AM EST

• Celebrities dish out good will for Thanksgiving
• 'Blair Witch' house to be razed, unless ...
• Does anyone want Drew Barrymore's stuff?
• Imagine, Yoko says, living life in peace

Salma Hayek peeks out from a helicopter on her way to a USO holiday function

(CNN) -- It was a day of giving for many celebrities on Thursday.

"Godfather of Soul" James Brown continued his Thanksgiving Day tradition by sponsoring a turkey giveaway in his hometown of Augusta. More than 600 people stood in line Wednesday -- some for hours -- to get a free turkey. It was the fifth year of the event.

As the Suwanee Quintet sang gospel tunes, Brown -- decked out in a black leather jacket with stars and stripes down the sleeves -- grabbed the microphone and added his signature screech to applause from the crowd.

"An event like this means giving back to the community," Brown said. "I have grown up with a lot of these people and I have seen a lot of the younger ones grow up. I have much love for the kids."

In Pristina, Yugoslavia, actress Salma Hayek handed out kisses, pictures and autographs to NATO peacekeepers.

The actress made a holiday goodwill visit to peacekeepers, signing T-shirts and posing for pictures with dozens of soldiers from the United States, Germany and France.

"I've kissed thousands of soldiers today," she said. "It's not a bad job."

Back in the States, "Friends" star David Schwimmer visited a shelter to help serve free meals to the hungry and homeless Wednesday during an annual day-before-Thanksgiving feast.

"I've been wanting to help out like this for a few years," said Schwimmer as he dished up mashed potatoes. "But this is the first time I've been able to with my schedule."

"The Blair Witch Project"

GRANITE, Maryland (CNN) -- It might be important to fans of "The Blair Witch Project," but a ramshackle house featured in the low-budget summer fright film is to be razed.

Officials of the state Department of Natural Resources have ordered the two-story, gabled Griggs House destroyed, saying it's a nuisance and a hazard.

But residents of Granite, a rural area about 13 miles west of Baltimore, say the 19th-century house in Patapsco State Park may have played an important role in the community's history.

The Maryland Historical Trust put the Griggs House on its inventory of potentially historic properties 20 years ago, noting its architectural style. But trust officials who reviewed plans to demolish the building did not find the dwelling significant.

The house won't be torn down before next Wednesday. DNR spokeswoman Susan O'Brien said it could be spared if residents find new evidence of historic significance.

"'Blair Witch' has nothing to do with the value of the property as far as the park staff is concerned," she said.

Barrymore

SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- It must have sounded like a good idea to Drew Barrymore's mother, but so far no one's buying. A 10-day online auction of the actress' childhood keepsakes, put together by her mother Jaid Barrymore, has failed to draw even the minimum bids as it nears a close. The auction was set to close on Thursday, but has been extended.

None of the Barrymore items listed on the San Francisco-based Gavelnet.com Web site had received bids matching the minimum asking price. Among the items up for bid: Barrymore's baby clothes, offered at $425, a Christmas card autographed by actor Jack Nicholson for $1,010, and the dark blue shirt Barrymore wore in her movie "The Firestarter" (1984), available for $410.

No one has even posted a bid on the red cowboy hat she wore in the movie "E.T. The Extraterrestrial," with a minimum price of $45,900.

Jaid Barrymore put the items up for auction on November 15, saying she wanted to share some magic with Drew's fans. The actress has declined to comment.

Ono

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Yoko Ono still wants us to imagine.

The widow of former Beatle John Lennon invoked memories of her late husband's most famous song for a new exhibit. Ono scribbled "Imagine," the title John Lennon's best-known solo work, on a white bookmark and tied it to a branch of a wishing tree Thursday at the Israel Museum.

The tree is part of her multimedia exhibit, "Have You Seen the Horizon Lately?," which opens this weekend. Ono, 66, said she hopes the tree will be covered with wishes from visitors.

"My wish is for world peace. 'Imagine' ... is a song of world peace," she said.

Ono is in Israel for several days for the unveiling of her exhibit in Jerusalem and a second exhibit in the Arab town of Umm el-Fahm in northern Israel. The exhibits span works from four decades.