Posted on: Tuesday, July 17, 2001

Paper-airplane toss worth $84,000

By Kapono Dowson
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jon Harwell demonstrates his form in the toss of a paper airplane that won him a Hummer truck. Kyle Sackowski • The Honolulu Advertiser

The last guy with the last paper airplane had only one shot at the big prize — and he came through.

Jon Harwell, a 21-year-old Marine corporal, won an $84,000 Hummer truck this weekend at the Kane'ohe Bay Fest. He beat 3,500 others in a paper-airplane contest sponsored by McKenna Motors.

"My wife kissed my airplane. I guess that did it," Harwell said.

The odds were stacked against him. Contestants' names were drawn randomly, with 20 to 30 people chosen to participate each hour. The object of the game was to construct a paper airplane out of letter size paper, and then toss it through an eight-inch target hole from 50 feet away in front of a large, cheering crowd.

It was the final hour of the Bay Fest. Only two pieces of paper were left. Harwell and his wife, Katrina, were picked to try their luck. Harwell folded his wife's first, and then his own.

His wife gave it a shot and missed. Two others had their chances between them. Finally it was Harwell's turn. He was the last man with the last piece of paper.

The paper plane slipped through the air and floated directly through its target. The young couple screamed and hugged each other as the crowd cheered.

"He's the luckiest guy in the world," said Katrina, 19.

Harwell had won a paper-airplane toss contest back in sixth grade, and his long-time hobby has been folding and throwing paper planes.

But it wasn't just the folding design of his plane. He had folded the same design for his wife.

"He was in a zone," Katrina said, describing Jon's state of mind when he stepped up to the throwing line.

"I knew I was going to win," Harwell said. "I told my wife, 'Honey, don't even try. I know what I'm doing. I'm going to win this.' "

The couple said they had walked through the car lot earlier that day and saw the Hummer, a civilian version of the military truck. They dreamed about what it would be like to own the massive vehicle.

"Jon loves big trucks, awfully big trucks," she said.

According to the couple, Jon just keeps on winning. He won a $1,000 scratch-off lottery last year and later this week will be in the Jeopardy game show tryouts.

The Harwells, who have been married for two years, plan to keep the vehicle and eventually take it back to Kentucky's Smoky Mountains area, where they plan to settle someday. Harwell said he'll go hunting and fishing with his grandfather.

But the first place Harwell plans to take the Hummer for a good run will be the North Shore.