In a bizarre turn of events, Scranton, Pa., experienced a corporate takeover last weekend. But this wasn’t just any business rolling into town and staking a claim ‘ it was struggling paper company Dunder Mifflin.
From Oct. 26 to Oct. 28, about 4,000 ticket-holding fans of all ages from around the world, media outlets, and cast and crew members of NBC’s hit comedy ‘The Office’ descended on Binghamton’s Pennsylvanian neighbor, Scranton, the ‘Electric City.’
With the exception of Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and B.J. Novak, pretty much all of the credited cast members were in attendance.
For the entire weekend, Scranton opened its arms, businesses and colleges to embrace the cultural phenomenon that is a television show convention.
Tia Bauer, a server at Alfredo’s Pizza Caf√É©, a business recently featured on ‘The Office’ where the office workers praise the pizza, said any publicity the show gives to a local business helps.
‘We have tourists stop in and take pictures, and try all the foods ‘ being mentioned helps,’ Bauer said.
Events with ties to various episodes were planned all around the city of Scranton, including a street festival, a casino night with the cast, trolley tours of the locations depicted on the show, and performances by The Scrantones and cast members.
On Saturday, the Office Olympics ‘ and many other events ‘ were moved indoors because of rain, but that didn’t stop a crowd of about 200 from participating in the sporting events. The games included ‘Skeet Schruting,’ ‘Trashcan H.O.R.S.E.’ and, the most popular, a running race with paper boxes on participants’ feet. Winners of the overall Office Olympics received ‘Dundies’ and trinkets signed by cast members not in attendance, all of which were presented by cast members Kate Flannery (Meredith), Leslie David Baker (Stanley) and Brian Baumgartner (Kevin).
Throughout the weekend cast members were making limited appearances at the NBC store to sign autographs and pose for pictures. For some people, the point of the entire weekend was to attend the meet-and-greets and have some face time with their favorite Dunder Mifflin employee. But for others, the whole weekend was just about having fun.
Adam Amit, a sophomore philosophy, politics and law, and economics major, said he enjoyed his time in Scranton and that it opened his eyes to the widespread appeal of ‘The Office.’
‘The Office’ is so great because it’s hilarious, yet so awkward and so funny,’ Amit said. ‘They take a boring situation and make it hilarious.’
‘[Seeing the variety of fans] is really cool. They’re from all walks of life but all like ‘The Office.’ The demographics aren’t segregated,’ he said.
As Saturday came to a close, the convention held a press conference followed by a question and answer session open to the public.
At the press conference, the questions ranged from serious topics, like how a possible strike by the Writers Guild of America would affect ‘The Office,’ to the extreme behavior of fans in attendance at the convention.
The Writers Guild of America’s contract with the television and film industry expires Nov. 1. If there is a strike, many of your favorite shows, including ‘The Office,’ will be affected. Greg Daniels, executive producer of the show, wasn’t sure exactly how much a strike by the WGA would effect the show immediately, although the conclusion was eventually made that for every month there was a strike, three episodes would not be made.
The cast and crew said they had a chance to look around Scranton to really get the feel of the city. Daniels said after doing all the research for the show, visiting Scranton was like visiting the Emerald City of Oz.
Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer, the resident alcoholic on the show) said she’s never had more people offer to buy her a drink.
‘People were mad I wasn’t wasted!’ she said.
Discussing her character’s promiscuity and penchant for shedding clothing while drunk, Flannery said after she bared her breasts on the show, her ‘very Catholic’ father sent her a letter.
‘There was a pope postage stamp and all the letter said was, ‘Dear Kate, stop taking your shirt off. Love, Dad,’ Flannery said.
One question that may be on the mind of fans everywhere is who exactly is filming the documentary on Dunder Mifflin? Daniels said that’s one question they’re not prepared to answer yet, but it is in the back of his head.
Driving through the streets of Scranton ‘ complete with a police escort ‘ Craig Robinson (Darryl) and Andy Buckley (David Wallace from corporate) shouted to fans what was sure to be the slogan of the weekend: ‘There ain’t no party like a Scranton party, ’cause a Scranton party don’t stop!’