President's Day Weekend: What's Open, What's Closed

Presidents' Day or Washington's Birthday is observed on Feb. 17, the third Monday of the month, by most governments, banks, schools and other public institutions.

Presidents' Day is an unofficial name for the Washington's Birthday federal holiday and it's also popularly written without the apostrophe, but either way is considered acceptable by most dictionaries, even while the apostrophe version is used more by authoritative writers.

Washington's actual birthday Feb. 22 (the date he himself celebrated after the British calendar was changed during his lifetime), is actually never officially observed as a holiday because the third Monday of the month never falls later than Feb. 21.

One of the reasons to be grateful for Washington is that he resigned his commission as commander in chief of the army after the American Revolution. Military commanders in some other countries in similar circumstances didn't do that. He never set that precedent. It's been said that his speech to army officers in Newburgh, NY in 1783 helped stave off a mutiny.

Here's what's open and what's closed in Stamford and beyond for Presidents' Day weekend, 2014:


Department of Motor Vehicles

Holiday schedule for major service centers, including the Norwalk Office:

• Friday: Norwalk Office is open from 7:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (unless it closes due to the snow)
  

• Saturday: Norwalk Office is closed

• Monday: The department is normally closed.

• Tuesday: The department reopens for business with normal business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Presidents' Day

• Garbage and recycling pickups will go on as usual (but the city transfer station and recycling center are closed)

• Banks in Connecticut have the option of opening or closing. According to state policy: "Connecticut banks and credit unions are required to give at least two weeks’ advance notice to their customers of holiday openings and closings by posting such notice in the lobby of each office." TD Bank is open.

• Stamford city offices, including the city transfer station and recycling center (but garbage and recycling pickups will go on as usual)

• All Stamford public schools are in winter recess, classes resume on Tuesday, Feb. 25. (Here's the school district calendar.)
  

• Ferguson Library (all public libraries in Greenwich, Darien, New Canaan and Norwalk are also closed)
  

• Connecticut state government offices (including state courts)
  

• U.S. government offices

• Post Offices

• The New York Stock Exchange and much of the financial industry

• CT Transit bus service in Stamford and Darien has regular local service but "reduced" Commuter Connection service.

• Metro-North has announced: "On Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 17,  Metro-North will operate on a Saturday schedule. The Hudson Rail Link and Newburgh-Beacon and  Haverstraw-Ossining ferries will not operate. Grand Central North's exits at 46th-48th Streets will be closed."

• Norwalk Transit District offices are open, as is regular Wheels bus service around Norwalk. For other services, see its schedule on the website.