JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Ashley Barr knew she looked silly walking out of Home Depot earlier this month with a 10-foot sewer pipe in tow, but she didn't care. With the help of some green spray paint, stripes, lettering and a little internet inspiration, she created a homemade candy chute to deliver candy to eager trick-or-treaters that grace her porch: contactless.
Barr is just one of dozens of residents in Jacksonville's Springfield neighborhood determined to keep the spirit of Halloween alive, even if things are slightly modified.
With the holiday falling in the middle of a global health pandemic, the thought of hands diving into a communal bowl of candy is more than just spooky for some parents. So households are getting creative.
Barr's PVC candy chute is oversized — to make sure candy doesn't get stuck — and bright green — to match her porch's "Haunted Mansion" theme, naturally. The setup lets kids put their bucket on her porch's stoop to catch the candy, which Barr will distribute from the top of the chute with kitchen tongs.
"The neighborhood is always very active with trick-or-treaters," Barr said. "I knew I had to do something to ensure safety was a top priority, while still letting kids participate."
Across the country, families are sharing tips and tricks for social-distancing-friendly Halloween ideas. Pinterest is riddled with DIY candy chute instructions and "Trick-or-Treat, please stay 6-feet" printable signs.
A report by the National Retail Federation shows that compared to last year, overall Halloween participation is down 58 percent this year with more than three-quarters of survey participants saying that the coronavirus is impacting celebration plans. Still, about 23 percent plan to trick-or-treat (down from 29 percent last year).
In its Halloween guidance, the Centers for Disease Control advises that traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses and suggests virtual or socially distanced alternatives.
"It’s tricky this year," Gwynne Mims Minter said about Halloween festivities. "We’re very open in our home that this year will be different, and we’re committed to following the CDC guidelines. But with Halloween being a family favorite, instead of giving it up for feeling sad for its loss, we’re having so much fun using our imaginations and letting this year feel extra special and new."
Minter and her family made a candy chute out of PVC pipe with an adapter on each end wrapped in spooky fabric and twinkle lights.
The CDC added that participating in "one-way trick-or-treating," where individually wrapped candies or goodie bags are left somewhere for contactless pickup is less risky than the traditional fare. The CDC advises that candy and goodie bag handlers wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before handling the treats.
Compliant with those recommendations are residents like Sandy Russo and Steven McKenzie who are setting candy bags up ahead of time at their respective homes.
Russo's candy bags will hang from clothespins on a string stretching across her white picket fence — which is also laced with fake spiders, cobwebs, string lights and foam tombstones.
McKenzie and his family, who were inspired by Russo's plan, are pegging candy bags to each stake on their home's rod iron fence.
"We have 150 posts, so we are thinking we will only have to refill once," McKenzie said.
Springfield resident Jennifer Chapman decided to take her contactless candy delivery to the next level with her two sons. The family fashioned a bucket drop powered by a zip line from their home's second-floor window down to the front gate. The bucket is reeled back up to the second floor with fishing line.
"We did a test run last weekend and it worked well," Chapman said. "We are practicing social distancing as much as we can — only seeing people outdoors, limiting our visits to crowded areas. The zip line idea was a way to make trick-or-treating safer and more interesting at the same time."