Celebrate Pretzel Day With Stanley From 'The Office' In West Hartford

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Fans of television show "The Office" can celebrate "Pretzel Day" with Stanley Hudson himself this week.

Actor Leslie David Baker, who played the infamous pretzel-lover on the show, will visit GastroPark on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. to judge soft pretzels made by local restaurants.

The pretzels will be served up by Craftbird of Newington, East West Grille of West Hartford and Samba's Cuisine of New Britain. And for $40, attendees can take a photo with Baker (and are asked to bring their own camera).

A portion of proceeds from the pictures and bar sales will go to West Hartford-based nonprofit Friends of Feeney, which helps children and families in times of crisis.

Specifically, the money will be donated to the family of a 33-year-old woman who recently died of brain cancer, leaving behind her husband and two children — a high school sophomore and a first-grader.

"Pretzel Day" was introduced in a season three episode of "The Office," when Baker's Stanley — a normally grumpy employee — is excited for the return of an annual tradition where employees can line up for free soft pretzels.

"I wake up every morning in a bed that's too small, driving my daughter to a school that's too expensive, and then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little," he says in the episode. "But on pretzel day, well, I like pretzel day."