Aisle Seat critic Mike McGranaghan at the Office Convention in Scranton

I count myself among the many who are obsessed with “The Office.” Aside from “Seinfeld,” it is my favorite sitcom ever to grace the airwaves. And no matter how many times I watch the episodes, I always feel like I see something new. The show is just that layered. Conveniently, the fictional Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company is located in the very real city of Scranton, Pennsylvania – a mere two hours away from my base of operations. So when Scranton decided to play host to the first ever Office Convention, there was absolutely no question that I would be attending. And, more importantly, so would most of the show’s cast. The five main stars (Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B.J. Novak) were not scheduled to attend, but almost everyone else from the show was.

I had driven past Scranton only once before, but on Saturday October 27, 2007, I entered the city proper for the first time. It is the kind of city that seems to be stuck somewhere between the old and the new. You can tell that Scranton has felt some of the effects of economic difficulty, yet efforts are clearly in place to revitalize the region. In that sense, it feels like the perfect place for a TV show about people who sell paper for a living.

The streets around the University of Scranton (a beautiful campus, incidentally) were blocked off for the first activity of the day: a street festival. A large stage had been erected in front of the University, and a jumbo-sized television broadcasted “Office” episodes all day long. In a parking lot to the right of the stage was a massive white tent teeming with people. My wife, Stephanie, and I made our way over. Underneath the tent, a long, long line of people snaked around. This was the line to purchase “Office” memorabilia trucked in from the NBC Studio Store. There were T-shirts, and hats, and umbrellas, and bobbleheads (of both the Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott variety), replica Dundee Awards, mouse pads, coffee cups, etc.

Brian Baumgartner at the meet-and-greet

At the far end of the tent, a crowd of people was gathered and we could hear lots of cheering and commotion. We headed over to investigate, only to discover that several of the cast members were signing autographs and posing for pictures in a specially cordoned-off area. Behind the security guards and swarming fans, I could see Angela Kinsey (who plays the stern “Angela”), Brian Baumgartner (“Kevin”), and Ed Helms (“Andy”) meeting and greeting those lucky conventioneers who had ponied up the dough for a ticket to partake in the autograph signing. Ticketless, I momentarily cursed myself for choosing something less than the $250 full experience package. (As other responsibilities prevented us from attending two of the convention’s three days, a cheaper package seemed the way to go.)

Ed Helms poses for a picture with some enthusiastic fans

The side of the tent – next to the autograph table – was open, and other ticketless fans had crowded around for an up-close look at their heroes. Steph and I joined their ranks, surprisingly finding ourselves able to work our way up to the second tier of gatherers. The actors were clearly loving the fan response, and they reciprocated by taking turns running out of the tent to snap a few pictures with those of us who didn’t buy the meet-and-greet tickets. First out of the gate was Kate Flannery (a.k.a. “Meredith”), who was leaving just as we were arriving. Then came Ed Helms, formerly of “The Daily Show.” In front of me were two college age girls who came in from Brooklyn. They were not shy about yelling for the stars, and when Helms came to pose with them, I was two inches away – a perfect distance for snapping some pictures of my own. (I now have lots of photos of those two girls with the cast members. I wish that I was in a couple of them, but at least I benefited from them stopping the actors.)

Angela Kinsey greets conventioneers

A short time later, Angela Kinsey emerged. She also posed for pics, and even gave out hugs to fans. When she came out of the tent, I realized what it must be like to be famous. People were shouting her name, and a multitude of cameras came jutting out from every direction as amateur photographers jockeyed for a clear shot. For a brief second as I raised my own camera, I felt like one of those annoying paparazzi who hound the stars wherever they go. Kinsey is quite different in person than she is on the show. For starters, she smiles readily, unlike her character, who never smiles. This makes you realize that she’s actually very pretty. Like Jenna Fischer (who plays Pam), Kinsey is generally forced to downplay her looks for the show. The characters are an accountant and a secretary; they are not supposed to look like glamorous celebrities.

Melora Hardin a.k.a. Jan

Speaking of looks, let’s talk for a second about Melora Hardin, who plays Jan. She rolled up (as all the stars did) in a big black SUV and was deposited right in front of where we were standing. From the minute she emerged from the car, you could hear the same sentiment being murmured through the crowd: “Jan is hot!” I heard that over and over again, all day long. Like Fischer and Kinsey, Hardin is clearly an attractive woman, but when you see her out of the formal business wear and all glammed up, you realize just how attractive she is. Male fans in particular hovered nearby wherever she went.

Phyllis Smith is dropped off at the tent

The stars took turns rotating in and out of the autograph signing. Hardin and Phyllis Smith (“Phyllis”) took over for Kinsey and Baumgartner. Later on, yet another SUV pulled up and dropped off Mindy Kaling (“Kelly”). Helms then bid his adieu and headed off. By this point, we’d traveled two hours and star-gazed for well over an hour. We were hungry and needed to use the restroom. Steph and I made our way several blocks over for a quick lunch at Subway. Returning an hour later, we found the stars were still there meeting and greeting. I got a few more pictures, then decided it might be best to get into the line to buy “Office” swag.

The line never once shortened the whole time we were there. It was a constant flow of people queuing up to purchase souvenirs. During what turned out to be a 45-minute process of going through the line, I turned to my right and saw Melora Hardin behind one of the tables, signing copies of her CD. Almost instantly, everyone else saw her too and started cutting in line. It got so crazy that the stand workers had to restore order. Line cutters were shooed away, and it was announced that you had to buy a CD in order to get an autograph and/or a picture with Melora. The woman in front of me groused loudly about this turn of events, but what other option was there? Surely, Dwight Schrute would insist on this kind of adherence to order. When the line finally moved forward enough for me to peruse the merchandise, I picked up a Dunder-Mifflin warehouse shirt, a long-sleeved T-shirt for Steph, and a Dundee Award. Because we spent more than the requisite $75, I also snagged a free Dunder-Mifflin snow globe.

Now armed to the teeth with merchandise, a camera, and our thick convention packets, we made our way back to the stage area, where the Scrantones were performing. This is the group that performs the show’s theme song. Just as we got there, a familiar face hopped up on stage. It was Craig Robinson, who plays Darryl the warehouse worker (and frequent Michael Scott foil). Robinson sang with the band as they performed a cover version of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Thousands of fans were now filling the street in front of the stage, everyone rocking out in unison. It was one of those moments in life where you think to yourself, this is so cool.

Creed Bratton signs an autograph

After the tune finished, the band launched into another song and I spotted Creed Bratton (a.k.a. “Creed”) a few feet away. He was going backstage but stopped at the barricades long enough to greet a few fans. I snapped a couple more pictures before the convention handlers whisked him away. This seemed like the place to be to see some action, and sure enough it was. At one point, I turned around to see that security guards were quietly whisking Kaling, Helms, Flannery, and Oscar Nunez (“Oscar”) behind the barricade. All four passed right by me and some other fans, but none of us realized it until they were upon us. I couldn’t get my camera out fast enough, but did manage to snap one of Nunez as he was walking away.

Oscar Nunez backstage

From over in front of the stage, I could see Steph motioning to me. I rejoined her and watched Bratton and Flannery hop onstage with the Scrantones. They sang a rousing rendition of “The Pennsylvania Polka” (appropriately). Flannery seemed to have memorized the words, but Bratton read them off a piece of paper. Not that it mattered. It was a kick to see these two stars having the time of their lives on stage, playing rock star for a few minutes.

The concert ended at 4:00 and, instantly, a mass of 3,500 people started making a mad dash for the Long Center on campus in preparation for the 5:00 cast Q&A session. Steph and I entered the auditorium and found some really good seats. We got there around 4:15 and settled in for what would be a 45-minute wait. The place was packed to the rafters, with people coming from as far away as California and even Ireland for the convention.

The cast of "The Office at the Q&A

At 5:00, the show began. There was a short video message from the mayor of Scranton as well as a couple of homemade music videos celebrating the show. Following that was a 10-minute blooper reel from the current season that had the crowd laughing so hard that you couldn’t hear all the dialogue. By 5:30, the cast was onstage: Ed Helms, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Melora Hardin, Leslie David Baker (“Stanley”), Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Creed Bratton, Phyllis Smith, Bobby Ray Shafer (“Bob Vance – Vance Refrigeration”), and Andy Buckley (“David Wallace” from Corporate). Also on the panel was show producer Greg Daniels.

Two moderators took turns asking the questions, which had been submitted on the Office Convention website. Some highlights: