Father constructs genius 'candy chute' so kids in his neighborhood can go trick-or-treating

As October quickly approaches, families are considering whether their young children should be allowed to go trick or treating this year. With the public health crisis still raging on, parents have many health and safety concerns. However, for those looking to instill a bit of normalcy for their kids, a dad in Ohio has come up with a cool way to celebrate Halloween while practicing social distancing. With a few supplies from his garage and some help from his 6-year-old daughter, Andrew Beattie made a "candy chute" to drop candy in the buckets of young trick-or-treaters (look ma, no hands!). He spoke with CNN about his invention.

"This is something that the kids will enjoy and not think of it as 'I'm doing this to prevent disease'—they are doing it to have a good time," the father stated. "We need that. We need the community spirit back right now." The chute took Beattie about 20 minutes to make. He used household items such as some cardboard tubes, orange spray paint, and black duct tape. When he installed the tube for a test run, he attached it to the handrail of his front door with some zip ties and decorated it with green and purple lights. At the very end of the chute, at the bottom of the stairs, Beattie plans to wear a mask use tongs to drop candy down the tube for trick-or-treaters waiting at the bottom of his front doorstep.

The father called his little invention "simple and something anybody can do." That is probably why his original Facebook post, in which he first shared his candy chute, has gone viral. Since it was initially posted, it has been shared over 79,000 times and has more than 39,000 reactions. Beattie wrote in the post, "Our six-foot candy chute is ready to be attached to the handrail! Come on, Halloween!" Folks from across the United States left comments about how they loved the idea and planned to make their own candy chutes. One user wrote, "Best idea ever. The kids will think that's so cool. They need some normal things in their lives now. They look forward to Halloween and dressing up."

Beattie addressed some concerns a few parents had about health and safety by updating his post, but ultimately affirmed, "If this candy chute makes things easier or safer, and gives those with mobility challenges more of a chance to participate, then what's the harm? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, ya' know." Evidently, family members from all over the country agree. Will you be trick-or-treating this year? If you plan to hand out candy, this may be just the thing you need.