NBC: 'Office' parties planned in 26 cities

BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Parties to celebrate the start of the new season of the situation comedy "The Office" are being planned in 26 U.S. cities, NBC.com announced Tuesday.

Season 5 of the show is to premiere Thursday.

The parties originated and were organized through Dunder Mifflin Infinity --www.dundermifflininfinity.com -- the social network site for "The Office" fans on NBC.com.

The announcement regarding the events was made by Vivi Zigler, president of NBC Universal Digital Entertainment.

"It's wonderful to see the fans of 'The Office' use NBC.com's social networking capabilities in fun and unique ways," Zigler said in a statement. "This is really just the beginning of what can happen when fans, technology and creativity come together like they have with 'The Office' and Dunder Mifflin Infinity."

Among the cities where "Office" premiere parties are being planned are Rochester, N.Y.; Philadelphia; Cheshire, Conn.; Washington; Baltimore; Gainesville, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Germantown, Ohio; Elk River, Minn.; Indianola, Iowa; Ames, Iowa; La Crosse, Wis.; Fort Collins, Col.; Las Vegas; and Santa Barbara, Calif.