High prices impact Fresno wood maker creating Christmas yard artwork
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- It may be summer in Fresno, but the spirit of Christmas is alive at Harvey and Mary Fogle's house.
The couple creates handmade custom holiday artwork.
Their yard art started out as a hobby, but it ended up as a full time job hobby.
Retired truck driver Harvey has spent the last decade making orders. Mary helps him out now.
This year, their wood-making hobby has been hit by rising prices.
"It went up from $35 early last year to almost $78 with taxes this year and it's not the same piece of wood. The same piece of wood we were using is up to $90 with taxes," Mary says.
In turn, prices have gone up for customers.
Demand has also risen for the decorations.
This is the first year they have done just orders and won't have an annual yard sale.
"I think sometimes shopping from home has gotten much easier," Mary says.
Mary urges people to contact them on Facebook at 'Harvey's Christmas Yard Art' if they want something in their yards for the holidays.
During the pandemic, the hobby has been a life saver when they couldn't see friends and family.
"So in the house if you got bored, you could come out here and work for awhile. You just forgot about stuff," Mary says.
To date they've done a variety of scenes from nativity to characters. They even do Halloween.
Harvey's favorite, "The grinch...laughs."
It takes them days or weeks to create the pieces from wood to art.
They know their work is done when customers pick them up.
The Fogles say they truly love Christmas and the season.
"It's the lord Jesus Christ's birthday, what better holiday than that? It's just like Mary was saying, you see people's faces and the smiles that come on their face," Harvey says.
The couple has been married more than five decades and say they find purpose in their work.
They're glad to bring joy to others, one piece of Christmas art at a time.
Harvey estimates in the 12 years he's being doing this, he's carefully crafted more than 1,000 pieces.
