I may have started Born in a Barn, but this photo represents many of those who hold me up and get me through this whale of an event!! From gate to garbage, there are hundreds of moving pieces, parts and jobs that need to be done. Before, during and after the event. It all starts in January and doesn’t end until the last disco ball falls! It’s a labor of love and no one is paid anything close to what they are worth to me! Most volunteer and I can’t do it without them. Every year I say it’s my best year and every year I get to do it with my people is my best year.
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!!
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!
Sammie Kinnison
Sammie was only 11 when Born in a Barn started, and now that she is home for good I’ve put her in charge of the master map!! She helps me sort vendors, map the show and ultimately get the show set up in 2 days. It’s like a circus and Sammie is the load in ringmaster!! You will find her at World Headquarters!! And this year we get to introduce her fiancé, Jordan Carlton. Soon to be family member and 2nd year veteran Barn Boy!
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, buried her in handwritten notes 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!
Bridger Gransberry
Bridger Gransberry is the OG of Barn Boys, he’s been with me for 14 years, he missed one year and I begged him to come back!! Will he be doing it when he’s 50??? Probably, cause I will be begging him from my grave! Look for Bridger and his crew in their bright orange Kubota t-shirts and in the Kubota’s!!
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!
Kristi VonKrosigk
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! She gives me a week of her life for Born in a Barn.
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!!
Thayne!
My daughter and I used to get stuck on garbage duty every year, and it always ended up overflowing. Then along came Thane. I think he was 9 the first year we asked if he could drive a 4-wheeler around to all the garbage cans and empty them. He was so serious and dedicated to his job that I was constantly getting asked about him—and if people could tip him! That year we gave him a three-wheeler. The next year, he was back and pulling a trailer. Same dedication, same question, and same tips from our impressed guests. This will be year three with Thane, and we can’t thank Pure Dixie enough for sharing him with us!
Kat Deeds
Last year we had the pleasure of working with The Mint Bar at both the vendor show and at the Disco Ball! Not knowing what she was getting into, Kat Deeds, jumped in guns a blazin!! Or should I say glitter flying!! After two days of her crew serving drinks at Born in a Barn , her crew showed up and showed out for the Disco too!! It took all hands on deck to transform the Mint Barn into a disco wonderland, including a twirling disco chicken!!
Thanks to all of you at the Mint Bar, we are so excited for this year!! But big thanks and gratitude for your enthusiasm Miss Kat……….the madame of the Mint!!
Cloie and Tucker Goss
None of them knew what they were getting into when this started! They have all evolved into jobs that suit them perfectly! Cloie, my oldest, took over the entrance gate and helping out with all things 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 with a brand new baby!
Jim and 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!!
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! Now she comes for fun and to help sling mimosas! This powerhouse doesn’t take no for an answer and now she brings her goods with her for her Gunpowder and Cabernet booth.
Sara VonKrosigk
This little pixie finally joined us last year! She helps KVK in the BIAB Swag booth. Bringing her magic to all things merch!