Colton from Mohnton’s National Raisin Celebration at Sun-Maid
as featured on BCTV.org
May 19, 2022
This year’s National Raisin Day (April 30th) celebration was one to remember for 7-year old Colton Brady locally from Mohnton, PA. In March he was 1 of 5 winners in a National Contest with Sun-Maid Raisins to join their Board of Imagination for the 2022-2023 school year. Out of thousands of applicants, Berks County rallied together to vote for Colton from Mohnton so that his dream of working directly with the Marketing Team at Sun-Maid on the Board of Imagination would come true!
To kick off his term on the board, Sun-Maid flew Colton and his mom, Heather Brady, out to Fresno California for a weekend of celebrating along side the other Board of Imagination winners from across the country. We just had to interview Colton to learn about this once in a lifetime opportunity:
Q: What did you do in California?
A: “EVERYTHING! The whole trip was a dream and I am still in shock. We got to go to the Vineyard where the grapes are grown and learn about the growing process, including playing with worms and microscopes! When we got off the tour bus to walk to the Vineyard, DUFF GOLDMAN from Kids Baking Championship was there waiting for us with his family! It was UNBELIEVABLE! I have been watching that show since I was 3.5 and have always dreamed about baking with him. He toured the vineyards with us and I got to ask him about raisins in his famous blondie recipe. He also signed my cast, which makes me wonder if I will ever take it off.
“After the Vineyard tour, we went to the Factory to learn about how raisins are made. When we got off the tour bus, it was a huge party! There were slushy stands, popcorn stands, music, water balloons, ginormous bowling in the lawn, and lots of other games, food, and fun! I couldn’t believe they did all of this for us!
“At the factory, we got to see a robot that packages the boxes, and also drives the skid loader. It was SO COOL. They also have a laser machine like Star Wars that removes all the bad raisins from a batch while they are being washed.
“We got to make our own sour raisins at the plant, which was also very cool! We also got to keep our own special hard hats that we wore during the tour and our safety goggles.
“After the tour, we got to party! Lunch was set up under a huge tent so we could all eat together. By this time, the Board of Imagination Members and our parents were like family. Kids were playing, Moms were chatting and taking a million pictures. It was awesome.
“Then we actually got to watch a baking demo with Duff Goldman. He made thumbprint cookies with a raisin filling & drizzle of icing and they were delicious! Mom and I laughed when he caught his towel on fire…. apparently even the experts make a mistake sometimes and laugh about it!
“After the baking demo, there was a ceremony to honor and celebrate Jackie who was retiring after our Board of Imagination Day (which she had been planning and developing for a long time!) Mom of course got teary eyed even though they just met.
“My face, along with my fellow Board of Imagination friends’ faces, were on the stage surrounding the screen. It was so surreal to see! I really felt famous. I got to go on stage with the CEO Harry – which was really cool too!
“Next we got to shopping in the company store which was super fun.
“We went back to our hotel to change and relax for an hour. I went swimming of course – who doesn’t love a hotel pool!
“Then we went to the Fresno Zoo together. It was a beautiful night, I had so much fun with my new friends exploring the zoo before our dinner ceremony. We got to see a lion eating – it was really neat. We had a fancy dinner celebration in the African Safari section to celebrate the Board of Imagination members who were ending their term, and an inauguration celebration for me & the new board! I got to sit at table one…. which means, I got to sit with the CEO Harry and his family. Which was really great because I had a lot of questions … specifically about the Grape Jerky April Fools joke I saw on Facebook. His 3 year old son reminded me so much of my little brother, I really enjoyed playing with him too.
“After dinner, we had to make our first bid decision. We had to have a meeting to determine what nonprofit Sun-Maid should make a donation to in 2022. Without our parents, just the 5 of us new Board Members huddled together after watching a video that explained each to decide. We voted for Alex’s Lemonade Stand! Which was my favorite because I hate cancer. I also love to host my own lemonade stands!”
Where were your other Board Members from?
“Texas, Hawaii, Florida, Michigan, Chicago, California, Arkansas
“It was really neat to learn about their states. We actually got to share a souvenir or gift with our other board members on our first night. I took my favorite Unique Pretzels and shared my “Friendship Trail Mix Recipe” with my new friends. If you’d like the recipe, my mom posted it on her website.”
What surprised you the most?
“Getting off the plane for a layover in Texas and meeting 4 other Board Members! We could identify each other because of the awesome Sun-Maid duffle bags that we received in the mail with our itinerary. It was the first moment that made the whole experience seem real. Sun-Maid also had a big banner and a team welcoming us at the airport, which was so cool! I was also impressed with the party limo that took us from the airport to the hotel… and then again when I entered my hotel room to find a big box of goodies and balloons just for me! A new backpack personalized with my name, sunglasses, raisins of course, and lots of really meaningful items including my own digital camera!”
What were some of your favorite memories?
“That’s a tough one! Sun-Maid did everything perfect. Meeting Duff was awesome. Playing trivia on the tour bus was cool too! I also really loved playing cards, hide and seek, and swimming in the pool at the hotel with my new friends and our parents. I learned to play spoons and Taco Goat Cheese Pizza and also got to teach my new friends Uno and War.”
What was the most interesting thing you learned?
“That SunMaid raisins are in A1 Steak sauce. We also did a tour to Yosemite National Park and I learned about the Gold Rush and Giant Sequoia trees which were HUGE but their seeds were tiny!”
What do you hope you get to do this year on the board?
“See my new friends again! And also taste new raisins and share my love for raisins and the Sun Maid company with my entire school.”
Will National Raisin Day ever be the same?
“This was the best weekend of my life. I will always celebrate National Raisin Day… hopefully with my new Raisin Friends!”
Anything else you want to add?
“Thank you to everyone who voted for me! I am forever grateful for this experience and opportunity. It is beyond my wildest dreams, and I couldn’t have done it without the love, the support, and the encouragement of my community. Especially my Mom. She always tells me, shoot for the Moon because if you miss – you land amongst the stars. I definitely didn’t miss this time – but I also definitely almost gave up on the interview part of the contest and I am so glad I didn’t! I hope that every kid who follows my story takes my mom’s advice and chases their dream! In the end, if it doesn’t work out the first time – you will learn what to do to make it work out a different time! Plus, the worst thing that happens is that you end up exactly where you were before you tried. So why not give it your best and see!”
