What's Open, Closed For Election Day, Veterans Day In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Early November brings two observed holidays: Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and Veterans Day on Thursday, Nov. 11. City of Alexandria government offices will be open both days, but other schedule changes are in store.

On Election Day, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. as voters decide Alexandria local races as well as state races for Virginia governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. Residents can find their polling place on the Virginia Department of Elections portal. More information about the upcoming is available at www.alexandriava.gov/Elections or our voter guide.

On Nov. 11, the City of Alexandria and Friends of Rocky Versace will host the 20th annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial in fronf of the Mount Vernon Recreation Center. The indoor ceremony will take place from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., honoring the 68 Alexandrians who died during the Vietnam War or remain missing in action, and all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. All 68 names on the Captain Rocky Versace Plaza and Vietnam Veterans Memorial will be read. There will also be a tribute to posthumous Medal of Honor recipient Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace. Versace was taken as a Prisoner of War and was executed by the Viet-Cong, reportedly while loudly singing "God Bless America."

In conjunction with the 50-year Commemoration of the Vietnam War, the ceremony will include presentation of the Department of Defense Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin to qualified Vietnam War-era Veterans. The lapel pins will be presented by retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joseph E. DeFrancisco, board charman of the Association of Graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. The ceremony will also recognize Gold Star families in attendance, sounding of "Taps" and performance of "God Bless America."

Below are the schedule changes to know for Election Day and Veterans Day in Alexandria.

City of Alexandria government offices: Open on Nov. 2 and 11.

Alexandria City Public Schools: Nov. 2 is a student holiday and teacher work day. On Nov. 11, ACPS elementary schools will be closed for students due to parent-teacher conferences, except for Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School, which will be open. ACPS middle and high schools will be open.

Animal shelter: On Nov. 2, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria at 4101 Eisenhower Avenue will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. by appointment only. On Nov. 11, AWLA will be open weekend hours, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., by appointment only. To make an appointment, visit AlexandriaAnimals.org/Adopt-By-Appointment or call 703-746-4744. Animal emergencies and wildlife concerns should be directed to 703-746-4444.

Courts: On Nov. 2 and 11, Alexandria Circuit Court, Clerk of Circuit Court, General District Court, Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and Court Service Unit, located in the Alexandria Courthouse (520 King Street) will be closed.

DASH Bus: On Nov. 2 and 11, the fare-free DASH bus service and King Street Trolley will operate on regular weekday schedules. Visit dashbus.com for more information.

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV): On Nov. 2 and 11, all Virginia DMV centers in Northern Virginia, including 2681 Mill Road in Alexandria, will be closed.

Health department: On Nov. 2 and 11, the Alexandria City Health Department (4480 King Street), the Flora Krause Casey Pharmacy (1200 N. Howard Street) and the Alexandria Health Department Teen Wellness Center at Alexandria City High School (3330 King Street) will be closed.

Historic Alexandria: On Nov. 2, all city museums will be closed. On Nov. 11, the Alexandria Archaeology Museum (105 N. Union Street), Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) and Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (134 N. Royal Street) will be open. All other city museums will be closed. For more information, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic.

Hotlines: All emergency hotlines operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including the child protective services hotline at 703-746-5800; the domestic violence hotline at 703-746-4911; the emergency services for mental health or substance use crisis hotline at 703-746-3401; the adult protective services hotline at 1-888-832-3858; and the sexual assault hotline at 703-683-7273.

Libraries: On Nov. 2 and 11, the Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library (4701 Seminary Road), Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library (717 Queen Street) and Alexandria Law Library (520 King Street) will be closed. All other libraries will be open. Visit alexlibraryva.org for details.

Metro: On Nov. 11, Metro will run on a Saturday schedule.

Parking: On Nov. 2, all normal parking restrictions will be enforced. Many polling places will have reserved parking for voters. On Nov. 11, the Alexandria Police Department will suspend enforcement of parking restrictions at metered spaces and residential permit parking districts. This suspension of enforcement applies only to the restrictions at legal parking spaces and does not permit parking in any normally prohibited location (for example, no parking zones, loading zones or spaces for persons with disabilities). Temporary no-parking signs will be enforced.

Post offices: Closed on Nov. 11.

Recreation, nature and arts centers: On Nov. 2, the Mount Vernon Recreation Center (2701 Commonwealth Avenue), William Ramsay Recreation Center (5650 Sanger Avenue) and Jerome “Buddie'' Ford Nature Center (5750 Sanger Avenue) will be closed for normal operations. Chinquapin Park Recreation Center and Aquatics Facility (3210 King St.) will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. All other city recreation and art centers will be open for normal operations and to registered voters assigned to those polling places. Recreation programs, including open gym and Out of School Time, may not be offered. The Torpedo Factory art Center (105 N. Union Street) is closed on Tuesdays. On Nov. 11, all city recreation, nature and art centers will be open for normal operations. Visit alexandriava.gov/RecreationCenters for more information.

Trash and recycling: For the weeks of Nov. 1 and 8, residential refuse and recycling will be collected on a normal schedule. The Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Collection Center (3224 Colvin St.) will be operating under its regular schedule. Visit www.alexandriava.gov/ResourceRecovery for information.