What's Open, Closed For Juneteenth 2024 In Columbia

COLUMBIA, MD — The Wednesday, June 19, federal holiday called Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, when word finally reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended, and they were free.

Also known as Emancipation Day, Freedom Day and Jubilee Day, Juneteenth is the oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed legislation making it a federal holiday, the first since the addition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

• Related: When Is Juneteenth? What To Know About Holiday Marking Slavery’s End

Because Juneteenth is an official U.S. holiday, banks, federal offices and post offices across Howard County will be closed Wednesday. Many state, county and local government offices will be closed as well.

Howard County government offices, 50+ centers, courts and animal shelter will be closed in observance of Juneteenth on Wednesday.

There will be regular Wednesday curbside trash, recycling, yard trim and food scrap collections June 19 and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open.

While county parks, Gary J. Arthur, North Laurel and Roger Carter Community Centers, the Robinson Nature Center, Harriet Tubman Cultural Center and the Meadowbrook Athletic Complex will be open Wednesday, the Kiwanis-Wallas Hall, Belmont Manor and Historic Park, Ellicott City Colored School Restored, Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, Firehouse Museum, Patapsco Female Institute and county historic sites will be closed.

The Regional Transportation Agency will operate on a regular weekday schedule. For more information about RTA, call 1-800-270-9553 or visit www.transitrta.com. All parking regulations and fees will be in effect on June 19.

The 9-1-1 Center, police and fire departments will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For emergencies, call 9-1-1; for non-emergencies, call 410-313-2200.

The Howard County Library System also will be closed Wednesday.