Father-son duo creates conveyor belt to safely deliver Halloween treats during pandemic
By Marissa Parra
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — It was a candy drop like you’ve never seen. A River Forest lawn became a Halloween hit during the pandemic, because it allowed kids to get candy from a distance.
CBS 2’s Marissa Parra tells us how the father son duo who created it is back at it again this year.
In this family, Halloween prep starts in summer.
“We started working on it about 6 months ago in terms of concepting, we do sketches and drawings,” David Zimberoff said.
Every year for eight years, the Zimberoffs come up with new ideas to treat trick-or-treaters.
“Last year, it was a big chairlift,” said 17-year-old Sam Zimberoff. “This year, it’s a big conveyor belt for candy.”
“Candy sits on a track and gets pushed; on the way down, drops into a funnel and right into the bucket,” he added.
It’s a new candy drop made from old parts. It’s not just black and orange, they’re also trying to be more “green” – recycling more than 20 bike chains to span more than 60 feet on their lawn.
“I mean, I work in the bike business, so I should use bike chains. So this year’s system is all about figuring out how to deliver using a bike chain and recycled parts,” David said. “The motor is last year’s motor.”
For dad David and son Sam, it’s been a lesson in design; tweaking this one to be faster than ever.
“Last year, people were so excited about it, because it was an activity during COVID you could do,” David said. “We had hundreds of kids come by, and it created a massive bottleneck, loading the candy one by one.”
They wanted to find a way to get candy to kids faster, and Sam found a way.
“The big idea is continuous improvement,” Sam said.
It’s been a bonding experience that’s particularly sweet this year.
“Sam is a senior in high school, and he’s going to college next year,” David said. “What am i going to do next year?”
“It’s another challenge we’re going to face,” Sam said.
Sam is eyeing colleges on the West Coast, but promises the show – and the father-son bond – won’t be going anywhere.
“Beyond the candy slide, him leaving, it’s a big deal,” David said.
“It’s not the end of the candy slide,” Sam said.
The Zimberoffs invite you to come test it out for yourself this weekend at the 1100 block of Keystone in River Forest.
Can’t make it? Don’t worry. They’ve already got plans for next year.
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