‘Office’ actress set for Scranton

Actress Melora Hardin, who plays Jan on the NBC show “The Office” will make an appearance in Scranton this Saturday, July 25.

First, Hardin will be tag along with “The Office” tour, which leaves at noon from “The Office Fan Tour” storefront on the second floor of the Mall at Steamtown. She will then be present at the Mellow Theater to screen her newest movie, “You,” at 7 p.m.

Theresa O’Connor, of Clarks Summit, who coordinates “The Office” tours, said she was looking forward to Hardin’s visit. “Her presence definitely will enhance the tour.”

“We are expecting a huge turnout,” added O’Connor. O’Connor said the four-hour-long tours, which began at the start of the summer, are given every Saturday at noon. “The response so far has been amazing.”

First, guests watch a video from WBRE, featuring interviews with cast members. Then, the group boards the buses for some Scranton sightseeing.

The tour includes a lunch at Cooper’s, along with visits to landmarks from the show, including Farley’s, The Bog, Paper Magic, Mifflin Avenue, the Penn Paper Building, the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, Scranton City Hall, the University of Scranton, Lake Scranton, the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, Alfredo’s Pizza and more. While on the bus, fans can accumulate Schrute Bucks and winners are presented with a special award when the tour wraps up.

O’Connor added that it is a “very casual and fun atmosphere.”

After the tour, Hardin will continue her visit to Scranton with a screening of “You.” Hardin, whose acting credits also include “The Hannah Montana Movie” and “17 Again,” produced, directed and starred in the film. Also claiming production, writing and acting credits is her husband Gildart Jackson. “You” is a story that spans 21 years about a husband coming to terms with the death of his wife and raising their daughter alone.

After the 84-minute film, Hardin and Jackson will take part in a question-and-answer session. A special VIP reception will follow; a limited amount of tickets are available to the public. Those who attend the reception will have the opportunity to meet Hardin and Jackson and get autographs on any merchandise purchased at the event

Wendy Evans, director of programming and special events at Lackawanna College, said that the event came to be “mostly by chance.”

“I received a phone call from Jackson, who was extremely friendly and was inquiring if the Mellow Theater had the capacity to show a film,” she said. “While we are not a movie theater specifically, we have shown many films in the Mellow, including the Jewish Film Festival. Lackawanna College recently merged with Community Concerts, which has an 81-year-long history of presenting cultural programming, predominantly in the Mellow Theater. As the newly adopted cultural programming arm of the College, it made sense for Community Concerts at Lackawanna College to jump into this event as the presenter.”

Evans pointed out that Hardin has a “tie to Scranton” due to her performance on “The Office.”

“She has been here before during ‘The Office’ Convention and was planning to return here to take part in ‘The Office’ fan tour and screen the film here as well. We are so fortunate that they chose the Mellow Theater as the setting for the screening and are hoping for a lot of hometown support for this exciting evening.”

“People who attend this event can expect to be a part of a really unique evening, considering that this film has not been shown on the large screen anywhere in our area,” added Evans.

For more information on “The Office” tours, visit www.theofficeconvention.com. The cost is $25 for those under 21 years of age and $35 to those over 21. The tour includes the lunch at Cooper’s, a sample of Yuengling to those of legal drinking age and a gift bag.

For the screening, which will be presented by Community Concerts at Lackawanna College, the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students with valid ID. All tickets are general admission. Reception tickets are available for $20 per person. The reception will include light refreshments and drinks. Tickets can be purchased online at www.lackawanna.edu or in person at Lackawanna College, 501 Vine St, in Scranton from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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