Ohio Man Creates ‘Touch-Free’ Candy Chute for Halloween

Andrew Beattie of Delhi Township, Ohio, showed off his own social-distancing solution for this year’s hopeful trick-or-treaters on Monday.

Beattie posted a picture to Facebook on Monday morning, with the effusive caption, “Our 6′ candy chute is ready to be attached to the handrail! Come on, Halloween!!!” The photo showed a long black and orange tube running down the handrail from his porch, ready to send children their annual dose of concentrated sugar on October 31.

The post went immediately viral, but reactions were not exclusively positive. It was soon expanded with a series of updates, addressing concerns and criticism from across the internet. Beattie assured those who responded that it would be a completely “touch-free” system, and that he would be changing masks and gloves regularly so to prevent any possible contamination.

Of course, Beattie faced criticism from those who believed his idea was “overkill” and that he should abandon it all together. “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?” he asked. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, ya’ know.”

Beattie told Fox 19’s Brittany Harry that he “thought this would be a good year with every going on right now in the world to put something together.” But more than anything, as he wrote in the post, Beattie said he was just trying to find a way for kids in 2020 to “have some sense of normalcy and maybe a little bit of exercise in all this madness.”