CUDAHY — Some people decorate their house for Christmas. Others decorate for Halloween. Rick Serocki decorates his Cudahy home for every day.
“I enjoy it. Always liked art in school, all the other subjects I wasn’t too crazy about," Serocki said.
He is the proud owner of the 'Cadillac House' on 4531 S. Lake Dr. in Cudahy. Serocki takes lawn art to the extreme. He has dozens of large statues in his front and backyard. Some of them he purchased and others he welded himself. He has dinosaurs, a Chili's chili pepper, old tractors, metal figures riding motorcycles, the McDonalds Hamburgler, KFC's Colonel Sanders, a Big Boy statue, and of course the namesake of the house, a 1955 Cadillac that looks like it is being melted into the ground.
He does it for fun. There isn't much more of a reason. It brings him joy, and he is glad it makes others happy too.
"I never looked at the value. I just enjoy buying it and having people come by smiling and taking pictures," he said.
He started decorating the outside of his home in 1985 with one relatively small hitching post. Almost 40 years later, he shows no signs of slowing down.
"I'll buy something, and I think I like this better than what’s in the yard, and then I'll sell the other item and bring the other one in."
For Serocki, it's always a work in progress. It's one reason he constantly searches on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for new items. Most of the statues he buys are within driving distance.
He is also a self-taught welder. He enjoys taking things that some might consider scrap metal, and turning them into something beautiful like a multipleong snake in his front yard.
"It's a snake made out of bowling balls, and head is a gas tank from a motorcycle, and then the bottom end of his mouth is a shovel, and then some curved pieces of metal for his fangs."
You might think that a house with this many old statues and scrap-metal art might look a little crazy. But in fact, Serocki keeps his home in good shape. There is plenty of walking space in between statues. Flowers add a bright burst of color throughout his two yards. Plus, Serocki keeps all of his statues in tip-top shape by repainting them and clearing cobwebs.
Thanks to this yard art, he has met people from England, Australia, and all over the world. As to the future of it all, Serocki will continue buying and making new pieces of art. However, the longer term plans for when he is gone are a little less clear.
"I'm hoping somebody takes over and keeps rolling with it, but who knows."
