President’s Day

Here’s what will be open and what will be closed on Presidents Day, Monday, 2022. Since it is a federal holiday, not everything will be open. The holiday, established in 1885 to honor President George Washington, will provide a much-appreciated three-day weekend for some while others must work. Washington's Birthday became Presidents Day in the late 1960s as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The bill proposed that the country celebrate holidays on Monday rather than when birthdays fell on the calendar, so workers could have a three-day weekend.

During the debate of that bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents Day to celebrate the birthdays of both President Abraham Lincoln's on Feb. 12 and Washington's on Feb. 22. Congress actually rejected the name change in the 1968 version of the bill. However, after the bill went into effect in 1971, Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name.

Here's a breakdown of how the holiday affects us with closings:
Federal, state, local government offices: Closed
Public schools: Closed
Public libraries: Closed
Post offices: Closed
Banks: Closed
State/city courts: Closed 

Most municipalities will not have garbage, trash or recyclables picked up; check with your local municipality. 

Transportation:
Metro-North Railroad Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines will operate on a Saturday schedule. There are no service changes for West of Hudson Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines.
Westchester County Bee-Line bus and Paratransit will operate on a Saturday schedule.

Independence Day

Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941. But the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. With all that is going on today, let us pause for a moment and reflect on the battles fought, the lives lost and the greatness of our nation due to those efforts. God bless America!