Yet, another reason to visit Pennsylvania (as if I haven’t given you enough already).
Residents of Scranton, Pennsylvania brace yourselves… Die-hard fans of NBC’s hit show “The Office” will soon be invading your neighborhoods. This weekend the city where the fictitious Emmy Award-winning sitcom is set is hosting a gigantic shindig for every one of its loyal fans that dares to show up.
While the concept for the blowout is funny, the party is no joke. The inaugural “Office Convention” is the real deal and promises to be as quirky as the show itself. Event organizers say fans will be able to compete in the “Office Olympics” and character look-alike contests. In addition, there will be appearances by cast and crew members along with performances by the Scrantones, the band that recorded the show’s theme music.
The festivities kick off Friday morning with the “Today” show’s Al Roker broadcasting live from the University of Scranton. Before the convention wraps up on Sunday, more than a dozen cast members, along with the show’s writers and executive producer, will have made the journey to Scranton to meet and greet fans. However, be warned, according to event organizers, none of the actors who play the main characters – Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer -have agreed to travel to Scranton for the “Office Convention.”
The brainchild behind the event—–a 35-year-old Scranton resident and die-hard “Office” fan—says she refuses to let the lack of star power derail the event.
“If people leave here saying, ‘I had a blast in Scranton,’ then we’ve achieved our goal,” said Michele Dempsey.
According to Dempsey, as of late yesterday more than 2,000 tickets ranging in price from $25 to $250 had been sold—more than 75% of them to out-of-town fans.
For those of you who are clueless about this cubicle-loving comedy and the cult following it has created, the entire show is based on the acclaimed British series of the same name. “The Office” airs on NBC and is shot in mock-documentary style, following the exploits of Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and his underachieving underlings at the fictional Dunder-Mifflin paper-supply company located in lovely downtown Scranton.
Since the show debuted more than four years ago, devoted fans have been making pilgrimages to Scranton, a small city about 100 miles north of Philadelphia, to check out real-life landmarks referenced on air, including Poor Richard’s pub, Farley’s restaurant and the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour.
And you thought living in Scranton was a curse…
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