When Sonya Hawkins saw all the police cars lined up outside Harpo Studios, she and other guests of Oprah’s show thought that maybe a politician was going to appear. She had no idea the cops were actually guarding a lot full of brand-new Pontiacs–a taste of the 276 cars Oprah gave to audience members in a show that aired Monday.
“She could have given me a CD, and it would have been fine,” said Hawkins, a 26-year-old substitute teacher from Chatham. “I totally wasn’t expecting to get anything. This was awesome.”
For Hawkins, her third time in Oprah’s audience was the charm. She had attended two other tapings, featuring actress Winona Ryder and the Wayans brothers, and found them “cool, but kind of boring.”
Hawkins was hardly bored, though, when during Thursday’s taping, she opened the gift box that contained keys to a new ride. She joined the mob of squealing audience members outside the studio to gawk at the make-believe car lot and expressed her gratitude to Oprah, who was mingling with the crowd.
“I told her God was gonna bless her because she had blessed the people who didn’t have anything,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins had e-mailed Oprah’s Web site, looking for tickets, but she hadn’t written anything about needing a car. Still, she said, the G6 will be a big help. Now she can give back the 1998 Ford Explorer her mother has been letting her drive.
It was difficult to keep her new car a secret until Monday. As part of the deal, Hawkins had to sign a waiver saying she would keep the news under wraps and that she would not sell the car.
There’s no chance she’ll try to cash in on her good fortune, she said. Even though Oprah’s parking lot was filled with bow-topped cars, those were just for show. Hawkins and the rest of the audience have to order theirs–a gray metallic one with a panoramic sunroof, which she should receive within four to six weeks.
She also plans to make her first ride in the car a special one–to Harpo Studios.
“I’m gonna drive around the building and yell, ‘Thank you, Oprah!’ “
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mcarberry@tribune.com
