Northeast Knickknacks is an interactive space to get and share the bric-a-brac of life – tips, advice, news, good reads, good deeds, trivia, hot spots to shop or eat, and so on.

We hope you – parents, teens, teachers, day-care providers, church leaders and members, business owners and employees, gardeners, crafters and anybody else with news or advice to share – will pitch in.

Here are three ways you can:

1) Call Lori Roberts at (803) 772-3617

2) E-mail lroberts@thestate.com.

3) Write Northeast Knickknacks, c/o Lori Roberts, P.O. Box 1333, Columbia, SC, 29202.

Don’t forget to tell us how to reach you by phone or e-mail.

GUESS WHAT?

The old Ray Lever’s Barbecue on Killian Road is coming back as Lever’s Barbecue.

Lever’s, after 25 years in Blythewood, closed for a few years but is reopening, said Virginia Bright, restaurant manager. Lever’s serves a mustard-based sauce. Located at 1802 Lorick Road, the restaurant will have its grand opening Friday.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, call 786-4301.

CONTESTS

The Coca-Cola Co. and Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated wants juniors and seniors from Richland 2 high schools to enter its Celebrate the Knowledge Essay Contest to compete for $10,000 in scholarship money. The contest is also open to high school students in Richland 1 and District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties.

Official contest rules are posted in each Richland 2 high school.

Essay entries should capture the essence of one of the following questions.

* What is your vision of a technology-driven 22nd century classroom?

* Has the zero tolerance policy helped to reduce violence at your school?

* In your opinion, do extracurricular activities assist in the development of a well-rounded student?

Ten winners will be chosen and each will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Winners will be chosen by a five-member panel of judges and will be announced at an awards program in December.

The contest ends Oct. 26. For more information, call Loretta S. Neal at 318-1193.

FROM THE ED FILES

Students in Kim Kuhn and Ann Sullivan’s classrooms at Bookman Road Elementary School are book buddies, which means they team up to do projects. The latest project of Kuhn’s first-graders and Sullivan’s third- graders was “Teddy Bear Care,” in which the students collected new and “gently loved” teddy bears to be sent to the children of families affected by the terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

The students got help from other Bookman Road students, who were asked to look in their closets for “care bears” or donate a new one to their project.

Kuhn’s and Sullivan’s classes collected the bears over two weeks, and then put red, white and blue ribbons on the bears.

On Friday parents of students in the class were invited to help prepare the bears for shipment.

“Through this experience, our students are using their Bookman Road Lifeskills and learning how such a simple act such as this can impact upon the lives of the children affected by this tragedy,” said Sullivan, the school’s 2000-01Teacher of the Year

HAPPENINGS

The Pumpkin Patch is in full operation at Blaney Baptist Church in Elgin. The patch is on the front lawn of the church, just off U.S. 1 in Elgin.

It’s open from 3-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Proceeds from the sale of pumpkins and other decorative items will be used for children and youth mission programs, youth director Brian Marion said.

For more information, call the church, 438-3161.Caption:

PHOTO: BWThere are some tough decisions to be made when it comes to making selections at the Pumpkin Patch at Blaney Baptist Church in Elgin. Giving some serious thoughts to their choices are front row from left: Brian Ray, Cory Brazzell and Ariel Smith; back row from left: Lauren Garner, Rebekah Salter and Brianna Bramlett. SPECIAL TO THE STATE