By GARY HENDERSON
Staff Writer

UNION, S.C. (11/1/94) -- Hundreds of children in Halloween costumes put a smile back on the face of downtown Union Monday afternoon. The youngsters descended on stores and businesses for more than an hour in the downtown merchants' annual trick or treat outing for children.

"These children have to go on, they can't continue to be sad," said Mamie McBeth. "They have to feel like children, but they just have be more careful."

McBeth taught third grade at Jonesville Elementary School for more than 30 years. Now, she works part time at the Union County Schools Parents Resource Center on Main Street. When McBeth recognized former students in the crowd Monday afternoon, they got a handful of candy, a warm greeting and a hug.

The retired school teacher said the abduction a week ago of 3-year-old Michael Smith and his 14-month-old brother, Alexander, has weighed heavily on her and other town residents.

"We are still praying and thinking about the little children, but at the same time, we have to get on with our lives," McBeth said.

Outside Greene's Salvage, employees handed out full-sized bags of candy.

"We don't know how many we'll have come by," said store owner, Alan Greene. "But we have enough candy for about 3,000 kids."

Greene said he likes the idea of having the kids downtown for trick or treating, because it offers them a safe place to go.

"Kids don't always understand why you can't go out just anywhere and have fun," Greene said.

Steve Smith, 13, a sixth-grader at Excelsior Middle School, stopped to check out the bag of treats he'd received along the street.

"I'm trying to get this full," the young boy said, taking stock of his inventory. He moved on to the next business with his large shopping bag.

As children filled Union's downtown sidewalks Monday afternoon, so did the news media. Television crews and reporters mixed with young trick or treaters from the courthouse to the north end of Main Street.

CBS News corespondent Elizebeth Kaledin finished a report for the network's Seattle affiliate, and then began handing out more than news. She gave every child that passed the CBS truck a handful of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Engineers decorated the large van with black and orange streamers. A sign on the side of the truck read: "Trick or treaters welcome."

Kaledin said the media are not always well-received when they swoop into an area, but she said Union has been different.

"The people of Union have been wonderful," Kaledin said. "They brought in the chicken biscuits for lunch today. It was delicious. We are paying back their wonderful hospitality."

On the north end of Main Street, 22-year-old Lesley Austin watched her children as they went door to door collecting treats.

"You can't just focus on this all the time," Austin said of the abduction. "The children are having fun and it's not that we don't care. But life can't stop in Union. We have to go on."

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