Washington DC

DC Kids Make & Sell the Perfect Gadget for Trick-Or-Treat 2020: The Candy Chute

One D.C. family's candy chute could be the magic spell that makes trick-or-treating more social-distancing friendly

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Of course a pandemic cannot stop kids from wanting to go trick-or-treating this year, because, well, they’re kids.

One family in Washington, D.C., has found a pretty cool way to distribute candy in a socially-distanced fashion and raise money for a good cause.

They’re making candy chutes, a concept that’s been widely shared online as a magic potion that could save trick-or-treating.

A candy chute is one innovative way to pass out candy while maintaining a six-foot social distance

The idea to make and sell a chute that slides Halloween candy to trick-or-treaters from a distance was born one recent morning in the busy Kurzendoerfer household.

Harry, age 8, is the eldest of the three boys. He helped design a prototype for the family’s candy chute that’s decked out for spooky season.

“I decided to sell them, exactly how much price they should cost — which is exactly $25 and zero cents— and how to decorate it,” Harry said.

Harry’s dad, Kevin, figured the candy slide he’d seen online could be pretty easily duplicated with some PVC pipe from the hardware store and appropriate skull and bone decorations.

A D.C. family shows off their Halloween candy chute

It’s eight feet of socially-distanced candy delivery fun. Anticipation builds as you hear a Snickers rattle down the pipe then land with a satisfying ‘thunk’ on top of your Kit Kats, Skittles and Milk Duds.

Plus, it provided the family a chance to underscore a lesson in finance for the kids.

“We try to teach them that money’s a very powerful thing, but we try to keep it simple. There’s three things that you can do with it: You can spend it, save it, share it,” dad Kevin said.

The family decided to sell the slides for $25 and donate half the proceeds to a local charity that provides Thanksgiving meals to those who might otherwise not get to eat that day.

If you’re interested in getting a candy chute of your own, News4’s Jackie Bensen can help connect you with the Kurzendoerfer family.

Cincinnati father Andrew Beattie couldn’t bear to miss out on Halloween this year, so he created a "candy chute" for safe trick-or-treating during the pandemic, using a 6-foot-long chute made from household materials.
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