ON THE OSAGE
Story Behind the Jewelry Prairie Sky Jewelry Co. Founded on Determination & Talent by Kelly Bland Remember Monday nights on NBC, back in the day when prime time TV was Little House on the Prairie? Michael Landon was Pa, Melissa Gilbert was Half-Pint, and all was right in the world in Walnut Grove. You know, I was told the other day that Laura Ingalls Wilder had a little bit different life in the real story behind the series. It seems she took parts of her life and made them what she would rather they had been instead of making the Little House series a true autobiography. That’s what I would do if I were writing a book about my life. Why write it like it was, when you could write it like it should have been. You know, the power of the pen is the power to “write” any wrong. 😉 I’m saying all this to say — that to every story, regardless the person or place — there is always a back story to the main story. Every life has it’s “rest of the story” chapters. Take Kenyon Lomax for example. Her jewelry has been on the pages of Cowboys and Indians magazine. Her photo shoots to promote her array are stunning. Her creativity is original. Her ability is remarkable. Her creations exude old west personality and speak womanhood that can brave the storm and yet keep a man warm at night. Standing maybe 5’4” with a smile as big as Texas, you would think her an entrepreneurial mogul, a trendsetter, a go-getter — and she has all those attributes — but she also has a prairie story behind the jewelry. One night as I was scrolling through Facebook, a post by Kenyon caught my attention. It spoke of the first beginnings of her business — how it wasn’t handed to her on a silver platter. How she worked long hours in tough conditions just to scrape by — holding on by a thread. Her other posts showed a project she and her husband were doing together — renovating an old homestead that would become their home. From my first impressions of Kenyon in her storefront in Pawhuska, I had thought she was probably someone blessed with abundance who knew what to do with it — and I was impressed. But after reading her posts as time passed, I started to become even more impressed, as I realized she was anything but a child of the silver spoon. I contacted her and told her I wanted to hear her story and asked her to sit down and do a podcast with me for an episode of Osagin’ It. Kenyon arrived at my office in the Pawhuska Chamber a few afternoons later wearing an emerald green flowing
skirt, a classic faded denim shirt, and a willingness to open up the screen door to the front porch view of her life. Two and a half hours later, we walked out on the chamber porch together and said goodbye. I was touched by her attitude, her gratitude, and her honesty. You never really know what a person’s life is truly like until you take the time to get to know them. Prairie Sky Jewelry Co. is a company founded on determination and talent, coupled with the confidence of a gal who decided to be someone who would overcome the odds — and keep smiling. I hope you’ll take time to pull up the Kenyon Lomax interview on Osagin’ It. It’s available on all podcast platforms, or you can just google “Osagin’ It” to find it. When you’re over our way out here on the Osage Co. prairie, plan a stop in Prairie Sky Jewelry Co. and tell Miss Kenyon that The Tourism Gal sent ya! 😊 Y’all come see us in Osage Co. where we still believe in happy endings – and pretty jewelry! VisitTheOsage.com AUGUST 2021 | bmonthly
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