SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Fans of the iconic sitcom The Office came to Scranton this weekend for some office-themed fun. Some were there Saturday to set a personal running record. Others just wanted to see the city behind the series about a fictional paper plant.
People lined the streets of downtown Scranton on Saturday, many of them diehard fans who just wanted to experience the place they know from TV.
The 1,500 people who pounded the pavement would rather not be anywhere else than in Scranton for the fourth annual "The Office 5K."
They came from 30 states and 8 different countries to experience the place behind the hit show that ran from 2005 to 2013.
"I'm a big Office nerd, and I needed to dress up and run," runner Rebekah Beattie said.
"How was it running in this outfit?" 28/22 News photographer John Lopez asked.
"I was really hot," Beattie laughed.
She wasn't the only one who came dressed up as a character from the show.
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One person there actually appeared in three episodes of The Office playing the role of "Elizabeth the Stripper."
<When they asked me to do it, I was like, 'It's kind of perfect because Elizabeth was, you know, there on the show and she was there for their 5K run.' For rabies, of course, and science," The Office Actress Jackie Debatin said.
Actress Jackie Debatin recalls playing the role that made her famous when she was mistakenly hired as a nurse for Dunder Mifflin's 5K run in the first episode of season four.
While it's hard to say if anyone ran as fast as Michael Scott did, some runners tried their best to look the part.
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But this day was more than just a race. People came out to the Courthouse Square for a block party, later making their way indoors to eight different bars throughout the city.
60 to 70 office aficionados had a chance to see even more places from The Office during the post-race bar crawl.
Andy Polansky owns and operates NEPA Tour Company. He organized the crawl as a way to bring more business to downtown Scranton. He says his company saw a need for 'the office' themed tourism, and jumped into action.
"The show is 10 years out of production, and people still come to this city exclusively because it's the home of The Office," Polansky stated.
While some people were there for the drinks, others were just there for the coveted "Dundie Awards."
"Gotta get the Dundie man. I didn't win one for the costume one, so we gotta get out here and get our Dundie and do our part to support local businesses as well," Andrew Hurst from Baltimore, Maryland, said.
"I've always wanted to get a Dundie. They're all really good, I think, just the simple 'fine work' just so I can be like Stanley would be a cool one," Pittsburgh resident Zach Wallace explained.
The office 5K aimed to raise money for Valley in Motion. The local non-profit is dedicated to fostering community well-being.
