TORRINGTON – They look a bit like they are the product of giant cookie cutters, but they aren’t. Each item is individually cut from a slab of metal, according to designs drawn with permanent
markers.
From life sized Nativity Scene figures to strange critters created from toddler sized bicycle tire rims, Peggy and Kevin Segelke use their imaginations and metal working skills to produce landscape decorations for just about any occasion.
According to Peggy, the permanent marker expert, the McGrew, Neb., couple has been engaged in metal work nearly 16 years. Their business, K&P Welding, is in Morrill, but they travel to neighboring states where they participate in craft shows.
Their efforts range from re-purposed bed steads turned into benches, to impressive “rustic” versions of the Nativity scene. They also create custom orders.
“We started the crafts when friends asked us to make special items,” Peggy explained during the Lions Holiday Bazaar at the Goshen County Fairgrounds last Saturday. “We did, and it has grown
from there.”
The couple actually started doing crafts about 20 years ago, before opening their full-service welding shop in Morrill. They participate in shows in South Dakota, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming.
Peggy said each flat piece is cut out separately from a new metal sheet. Some items are discovered in trash piles or yard sales, while others are brought in by friends and neighbors.
Yard decorations, metal carts and even small Christmas trees, including the lights, are among their products. And if you can’t find what you want among the items displayed in the hall, just ask, and Kevin will escort you to a trailer full of options.
Peggy said the couple works pretty well together.
“I get the ideas and he makes them,” she explained. “He usually yells at me that he can’t make it, and pretty soon, there it is.”
When it comes to the Nativity scenes, Kevin said, “I’ve done so many, I can almost do them with my eyes closed!”
Eastern Wyoming customers have two chances to own a piece of Segelke art. In addition to the Holiday Bazaar, the couple sets up shop at Torrington’s Pioneer Park each August for the Summer Arts & Crafts Festival, where they feature summer items for landscaping.
