Downtown Scranton will be welcoming two new businesses in the next few weeks with a Dunder Mifflin Store set to open at the Steamtown Mall on November 1 and the opening of vegan café Eden announced for November 7.

When you’re looking for a Dwight Schrute bobblehead or a “World’s Best Boss” mug, the Dunder Mifflin Store will sell official merchandise from NBC’s Scranton-based sitcom “The Office.”

Eden, located at 344 Adams Ave., will be Scranton’s first and only all vegan lunch café, offering soups, salads, sandwiches and more. It’s owned and operated by Christian Pilosi, a vegan for more than 11 years and an experienced chef.

Support local businesses and see what Eden and the Dunder Mifflin Store have to offer when they open in early November.

You don’t need us to tell you the new season of “The Office” begins tonight so we bring you a different Scranton-centered event: the upcoming Halloween “PAWrade” in Nay Aug Park.

The 2008 Halloween “PAWrade,” scheduled for Nay Aug on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 12:30-3 p.m., will benefit Canine Partners for Life, a Pennsylvania-based service dog not-for-profit company that trains and places assistance dogs with individuals with mobility impairments to help increase their independence and quality of life.

Bring your pet in his or her Halloween costume. Prizes will be awarded for best costume, owner look-alikes, scariest and cutest costumes.  Registration ($20 donation) is at 12:30 and the Halloween “PAWrade” begins at 1 p.m. For more information or to make a donation, call 570-335-3308.

The Office Games are coming to Scranton on July 19 to announce the release of The Office DVD Board Game and The Office Trivia Game.

The event will be hosted by Mindy Kaling (The Office’s Kelly Kapoor) and begins at 9 a.m. with a 2K Fun Run on Wyoming Avenue. Prizes will be awarded for Best Dressed, Best Character Look-Alike and Fastest. Following the Fun Run will be an Office Trivia Challenge at 10:30 a.m. and a Beet Eating Contest at noon. The first 125 customers to purchase either game at Boscov’s will receive tickets to meet Kaling and get her autograph from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Register for the games here.

It seems like so long ago that Michele Dempsey was chatting up the possibility of hosting an event in Scranton for “The Office” which was fresh off its Emmy win. I feel fortunate to have been privy to the event from concept to crescendo and I wanted to share why the event was so much more than a fan convention.

I just touched down for six months of military training in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. The course I am attending has 200 other junior officers from all over the country. In 1997 I was at this very same base; and when my fellow soldiers would ask where I was from, they would say, “Oh yeah, I have been through there by the bug junk yard;” or “The old coal town right?” This time I was literally the guy from Scranton and people from Vermont, California, and Indiana all said, “‘The Office,’ I love that show;” and “Did you get to go to the convention?” (more…)

The Electric City will pay tribute to the hit comedy that has brought Scranton into the homes of millions with the first-ever Office Convention weekend on Oct. 26-28. Why not Rediscover Scranton for yourself and see what the buzz is about?

The Today Show’s Al Roker will get the celebration started with a live broadcast from the University of Scranton on Friday, October 26, at 7:00 AM.

Stars of “The Office” along with writers and executive producer Greg Daniels will visit Scranton during the event. The current cast list slated to take part in the convention includes Leslie David Baker (Stanley), Brian Baumgartner (Kevin), Creed Bratton (Creed), Andy Buckley (David Wallace from corporate), Kate Flannery (Meredith), Melora Hardin (Jan), Mindy Kaling (Kelly), Angela Kinsey (Angela), Paul Lieberstein (Toby), Oscar Nunez (Oscar), Craig Robinson (Darryl from the warehouse), Bobby Ray Shafer (Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration) and Phyllis Smith (Phyllis).

The weekend will feature a street festival with food, a performance by The Scrantones, local vendors selling Scranton-related merchandise, the NBC Store, Office Olympics and two open-air stages offering a wide assortment of live entertainment.

The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is conducting a Dunder Mifflin Uncommon Stockholder’s Meeting on Saturday, October 27 at 2:00 PM at The Mall at Steamtown. Attendees at the Dunder Mifflin Uncommon Stockholder’s Meeting will receive a free, numbered, limited edition, Dunder Mifflin uncommon stock certificate.

Other attractions include: continuous episodes of “The Office” playing in theaters throughout downtown Scranton; favorite character Halloween party; wardrobe display featuring a sampling of outfits worn by the cast; and downtown guided trolley tours of Scranton sights.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.theofficeconvention.com.

The Scranton Plan, the industrial marketing arm of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and community leaders launched Rediscover Scranton to promote and strengthen greater Scranton’s quality of life and business assets. Through Rediscover Scranton, volunteers are identifying and contacting accomplished people with ties to greater Scranton, informing them about economic, quality of living, and growth opportunities, and encouraging them to relocate their businesses and families to the area. For more information visit www.rediscoverscranton.com.