The Team Behind BIAB
Brain Behind the Barn
Shelley Kinnison
I am the founder, dreamer, director and backseat driver behind Born in a Barn. I knew when I started it would grow to be big………. I didn’t know how or why, I just knew I needed to start. So I did, and every year it got bigger and bigger. I can no longer run it with notes and my clip board! Every year in January and February I get 100’s of applications to be in the next September show. I personally look at each and every application and with my team make final selections. So my work for September starts at the beginning of the new year. From there the planning, plotting and purchases begin!! Lord knows, I’m not in it for the money but I am in it for the community. The community I am blessed to live in, Sheridan, Wyoming. The community I’ve created with my vendors, guests and volunteers! I look forward to seeing everyone every single year! I’ve made lifetime friends and get so much joy from this little thing called Born in a Barn!!
OG Barn Boy
Brian Kinnison
When I decided to start Born in a Barn, I asked this man if he was in or out. He knows that when I’m in, I’m all in, at all cost but I don’t demand that of those around me. I just need to know one way or another and I will then know what to expect. He also knows I’m all about “go big or go home”. Still he said, “I’m in”. He takes the week off to help me get everything ready and never balks at my requests. He has been stuck in the parking fields for hours, pushed stuck cars out of the mud, loaded furniture, brought beer to the cowboys, anything and everything and always with a smile. Can’t do it without him and pray I never have to!
Half of My Brain & Marketing Magician
Alana Bratz
She named her marketing company Dauntless, meaning “showing fearlessness and determination” . Little did she know when she took on Born in a Barn that I was the energy mass of the destruction that came with it. I have tested every bit of her patience, broken technology that is indestructible and so much more. All I need to do is walk in a room and electronics explode!! It’s taken her 3 years to fully understand all that is Born in a Barn and for those 3 years I mispronounced her name and she let me.
I can no longer do anything from applications to running the show without her so lets hope she sticks around for the next 20 years!
Two have No Choice & One that Chose
Sammie, Cloie & Tucker
None of them knew what they were getting into when this started! They have all evolved into jobs that suit them perfectly! Sammie, my youngest, sticks close to Alana and I, she knows what’s going on at World Headquarters, with applications and runs interference when we need back up.
Cloie, my oldest, took over the entrance gate and helping out with cash (there aren’t enough $5 bills in this world). She does a great job except one year when she got into the moonshine! And Tucker has been a Barn Boy since the beginning but often finds himself in the field parking too! He is also an official member of the family as he and Cloie are married!
Besties & Back up Dancers
Kristi VonKrosigk & Stephanie Weyer
Talk about support, Kristi set up a booth at my very first ever Born in a Barn and has run my booth ever since then! Now that I no longer do furniture and junk, she runs my merch. She gives me her life for a week and I give her full reign with all of my Born in a Barn merch!! From t-shirts to candles. She is the bright light smiling at you when you buy your swag!
And Stephanie was one of my best friends in highschool (no need to know how long ago that was), who resurfaced at Born in a Barn! When she got tired of hauling furniture and junk she took over my photo ops and entrance gate! Another one who gives me a week of her life for Born in a Barn.
Head Don of the Mimosa Mafia
Candace Affeldt
We became friends here in Sheridan and she comes up from Texas every year to help with Born in a Barn. She found her niche selling Mimosa’s for our fund raiser for the Welch Cancer Center. What was a couple thousand every year has grown to $13,000 last year, with her at the lead! This powerhouse doesn’t take no for an answer and now she brings her goods with her, Gundpowder and Cabernet booth.
Saddletramp - Stylist of Merch & Mafia
Breanne Fojtik
She may not always know what she is showing up for……but she does!! She and Alana had the best photo shoot ever for my merch and this year she has committed to dressing the Mimosa Mafia! This woman has a ton of style and enthusiasm and I’m thrilled to have her on my team!!
Music & Mayhem
Justin Beasley
I love music, I just know nothing about how you get it from stage to ears!! Cue Justin Beasley!! I asked if he would run sound for all of my invited musicians……then I just gave him the entire project but he didn’t figure that out right away! Now it’s official he runs it all for the two days and everyone is better for it, especially me!!
Lead Cowboy & Mimosa Cup Sponsor
Tony Larsen
Let’s face it, the world is a better place with cowboys in it. So when Alana had the genius idea to have cowboys on horseback help park the fields she knew just who to call! He brings his gang, usually including his brothers, we provide the brew, and they take care of traffic flow……although I have seen a few pile ups due to photo ops, let’s face these boy are very handsome!! That’s okay, a small price to pay for how much they have added to Born in a Barn!
All the M’s - Marketing, Magic & Merch
Sara VonKrosigk
This little pixie finally joined us last year! She helped KVK in the BIAB Swag booth. This year she’s gonna join Alana's team and help design merch, help with marketing and content, and over all bring her magic to all things creative!
The OG's of All Time!
Jim & Vi Wilson
These two have had to put up with my entrepreneurial spirit from day one!! They know that when I say, “Do you think……….”, I’m already there and it’s gonna happen! Many a time they have worried that I’m in over my head and many a time I have been…..it just makes me paddle harder!
Thanks, Mom and Dad for always showing up and always supporting my wild ideas! Much love!!