The Post-Star from Glens Falls, New York • 7

I iJlJlli? adduction Prevention PI A1 Cambridge Central School will present a A ri ma "fD program Tuesday on preventing child I LotteryB2 ObltuariesB9 abductions. D10 iU 7 V7 Bulletin BoardB1 5 HometownB7 O) I LLil ColumnsB8 EducationB10 I -V Monday, April 4, 1934 City Editor. Mark C. Mahoney Regional Editor: Bob Condon Night Editor Will Doolittle Copy Editor: Jack Leadley Jr. Maple syrap season; How sweet it is flfF (Of) Dmt But sugar makers report varying decrees of success so far this year By Bob Condon By Joan Pctton Correspondent Dick Stewart pointed skyward to describe the maple sugaring season.

"You can only take what the guy sends you down," the Hartford maple sugar maker said. His remark underscores the chancy nature of maple sugaring. There arc many variables, from temperature and sunshine to frost and snow cover. What sugar makers like best are cold nights, 18 to 20 degrees, and windless days with highs in the 40s. Hard-frozen ground and light snow cover are also important, they say.

A weekend check of sugar makers in Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Essex and Saratoga counties revealed that it's been a season of optimistic beginnings, hard work and varying successes. In addition to a light frost penetration, the North Country had a winter marked by heavy snow cover, which made it difficult to get into the woods to tap trees. Whether they collect sap by tubing or buckets (most still hang a few) or whether they burn wood or oil, area sugar makers have worked hard for the syrup they've produced. Most seal it in drums, to be processed later into candy, jelly or other sweets, or to be reheated and vacuum-packaged in small retail containers, as the market demands. So far, retail prices are holding at last year's levels, with the gallon price varying from $30 to $36.

Jack Leadley who 'a stilt tapping in the1 Hamilton County village of Speculator, said-he was finally able to dig out some tubing long-covered by snow. He said he's hoping the season is just getting started. "We're not going to have a good run until there's a good rain or a three-day thaw to saturate the ground," he said. According to Leadley, the old-timers always said the best sugaring season came in an "open" winter, with hard frozen ground and not much snow cover. In the Essex County town of Minerva, Frank and Sandy LaBar said they are still hoping there will be a real season, although Mapla: tiaxt Pag Urban i legend came to life here Frad Patton Steam rises from the evaporator at Dick and Mary Stewart's Twin Brook Maple Groves in Hartford as Dick Stewart checks the sap that is being boiled down into maple syrup.

Terpsichore triumphant Madogal Singers gave Sumday Ibeatt Tfto ccrly CiwifiwOrt concert, between Easter I services End dinner, appeared to to just i whet tb3 overflow euC.sncQ in Vr.o Hyda I Collection's eudltorium By Col Richmond Staff Writer The audience, dressed in their Sunday best, sat attentively waiting for the Queensbury High School Madrigal Singers to start their performance. The early afternoon concert, between Easter services and dinner, appeared to be just what the overflow audience in the Hyde Collection's auditorium was looking for. The 15 singers, young women dressed in black gowns with white pearls and young men wearing tuxedos, provided a stark contrast against the white walls and ceiling of the auditorium. While many of the songs had religious themes, some sung in Latin and German, director Ned Crislip said the concert was not actually an Easter concert The group was performing what the concert program termed a "Choral Sampler of their European Concert Tour." Later this month, the Madrigal Singers will travel to Germany and England to perform their music. Still, songs such as "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word" could not have been more appropriate for an Easter performance.

"They crucified my Lord and He never said a mumblin', a mumblin' word" is the first line of the song. Dick Daniels said he enjoyed the concert, and even though his neighbor's daughter is in the group, he felt the music stands on its own. "I think it's excellent," the Queensbury resident said. The choral group sang a variety of songs, including an American folk song trilogy of "Dixie," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," and "Hush, Little Baby." RZadrlssI: Haxt Pag i i nil ran i i TeriCurriM Sculpture and a little girl seem to join in celebrating the end of winter as Jiliian Keepsmith, 5. from Greenfield Center, dances in front of the dancing sculpture at The Hyde Collection on Warren Street on Sunday.

Work on new Whitehall Amtrak station finally begins It didn't hit me until several days after the strange story of a persistent rumor appeared in these pages several weeks ago. My suspicion was confirmed by a call to Jan Brunvand, an English professor at the University of Utah. Sure enough, an "urban legend" once again had clawed its way out of the shallow grave where these true-sounding but utterly false stories briefly are laid to rest Author of five books on old and new urban legends, Brunvand directed me to page 148 of his third book on the subject, The Mexican Pet" There, he details a legend he calls, The Attempted Abduction," which exactly mirrors the reported rumor. The rumor, which got some widespread telling and retelling in early March in the Glens Falls area, involved a reported abduction attempt at the Aviation Mall in Queensbury. The Post-Star article say child abduction rumors not also made reference to a similar rumor involving the Wilton Mall, which the paper received anonymous calls about in December.

In fact, according to Brunvand, the attempted abduction rumor is nationwide. It peaks around the country in periods of about five years, often accompanied by news 1 stories about the rumor and police denial that any such incident ever occurredfhe said. Somet aes the Christmas shopping season resurrects the legend; other times it's news stories about actual abductions that do it, according to Brunvand. He cites the Adam Walsh disappearance case, involving a young boy who disappeared from the toy department of a Florida store while shopping with his parents in the as an actual case that may have kept the mall abduction rumor going and going and going. As the legend goes, a mother briefly turns her back on her little girl inside the mall.

When mom turned around, the child is gone. Mall security seals the doors to the mall and later finds the girl her head shaved dressed as a little boy in the men's bathroom. In some tellings, the story gets added detail: The disguised girl is identified by her shoes, which the would-be kidnapper forgot to change; the girl is sedated against her will; her hair has been dyed a different color. In some older variations of the legend, which Brunvand said has its origins in the Middle Ages, the child, a young boy, is found sexually mutilated. The fact that mall management and the authorities routinely deny the factualness of the attempted abduction story when the rumors start flying seems to enhance the credibility of the tale.

"You get the idea that police and mall owners are in collusion," said Brunvand in a recent telephone interview. He chuckled at the notion of a shopping mall having a master button that automatically seals all entrances. "The idea that someone has a lever or switch that closes or locks all the doors seems unreasonable it's a fantasy idea," he said. Still, the legend lives. The rumor is not as rampant across the country as it was during the 1980s, but it hasn't gone away, either.

Years ago, the story was even represented as authentic during a congressional hearing on urban crime, according to Brunvand. "It's one of those stories that never seems to die out," he said. "This one people still take seriously." The folklore expert, now semi-retired, keeps files in his home of letters and newspaper accounts reporting urban legends. Les $nd: Paga C3 By Dzrtena Correspondent WHITEHALL The downtown train station is about to become a reality five years after it was first proposed. The old, dirty Plexiglas open shed near the intersection of Routes 4 and 22, will be replaced by a heated waiting room on Main Street Village workers recently started tearing down a concrete wall to make room for the station on the land between the old Flat Iron building and American Legion Post 83.

Taggert Brothers of Castleton, won the construction contract with a low bid of $139,583 The project, part of the state Department of Transportation's ongoing effort to renovate or replace all dilapidated stations in the Northeast rail comdor, is a cooperative effort by the DOT, Amtrak and the village. Whitehall is contributing labor and heavy equipment to prepare the site for construction by removing paving and portions of both the wrought iron fence and the concrete wall in the area, as well as putting in drainage pipes and grading the site. The DOT is paying for all materials, as well as the actual construction work. The state also surveyed the site, reviewed and approved the plans and will monitor the contractor's work. The DOT also will administer a $31,500 grant obtained through state Sen.

Ronald B. Stafford, R-Plattsburgh, to pay for landscaping and extra parking spaces. Amtrak, which runs one round-trip passenger train daily between New York and Montreal, engineered and designed the station. "It will be an unmanned station," DOT Civil Engineer John Ryan said. A 16-by-12-foot brick building with large windows and a fiberglass-shingled roof will enclose a heated waiting room.

Outside there will be a platform with a ramp leading to the trains and off-street parking for 14 cars. A new sidewalk lined with trees will link up with the existing sidewalk in front of the legion building. Mayor Peter Telisky said there was a big push to move the station now, because the DOT needs to reroute traffic through the old station site when it replaces the Route 4 railroad bridge this summer. Station: Kaxt Pegs Vote on Cambridge schco Christ is risen! improvements scheduled CAMBRIDGE School district officials have linked a proposal to repair a boiler in Cambridge Central School with a proposal to build a playground. Residents of the school district will vote on the combined capital improvements project Thursday afternoon and evening.

The school district will be eligible to receive state aid equal to 70 percent of the cost of the combined improvements if the playground is linked to a project located inside the school, according to school administrators. The proposal to spend $40,230 to repair a boiler would qualify the school for the state aid, according tp Colleen McDonald, the school's administrative assistant for pupil services. She said district residents will be asked to pay only $10,363, and possibly less, of the 1 66,212 combined cost. The cost to taxpayers will be decreased by a legislative grant of $25,000 from state Sen. Robert B.

Stafford, R-Plattsburgh, $98,848 in state aid, $17,000 already allocated for the project in the 1993-94 school budget and 1 5,000 raised by volunteers. At last week's meeting of the school board, McDonald said she had "a good feeling about this (vote)." "It is possible our fund-raising efforts could St Votai Kaxt Pag Town sick of power outages Cy Virginia JennSitsa Correspondent LONG LAKE The frequent power outages, brown-outs and surges this winter have drawn complaints from local residents and prompted the Town Board to request information from New York State Electric and Gas about its current service system and steps the company might take to improve the situation. Resident Irwin King wrote letters of complaint to NYSEG and the state Department of Public Service. He said there were 10 power failures in January and several more in February. Numerous residents relying on electric heat were without power for more than four hours on Feb.

10 when temperatures plummeted to minus 27 degrees, he said. Other residents have experienced television and refrigeration equipment breakdowns they attribute to brown-outs (low power) or surges, and they have questioned if NYSEG's backup equipment is too antiquated to handle the situation. Power: Pag E3 Mass was celebrated at St. Alphonsus Roman Catholic Church on. Broad Street in Glens Falls on Sunday, as it was all over the world, observing the most holy day in the Christian calendar..