Columbus Day 2019: What's Open, What's Closed In Fairfax City

FAIRFAX CITY — Many services in Fairfax City will recognize the federal holiday Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 14. While government offices will be open, schools and other services will be closed. Other services may be open or run on a different schedule.

Here's a look at what's open and closed around Fairfax City:

Fairfax City Offices: City government offices will be open, and services will be provided as usual.

Fairfax Schools: Schools will be closed Oct. 14.

Post office and mail: Post offices will be closed Oct. 14, and no mail will be delivered.

Local and state courts: Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are closed on Oct. 14.

CUE Bus: Service will run on a regular schedule.

Metrorail: The Metrorail system will be open 5 a.m.-11:30 p.m. and operate on a Saturday schedule on Oct. 14. Parking will be free at all Metro parking facilities, and off-peak fares will be in effect all day.
Metrobus: Buses will operate on a Saturday and supplemental schedule on Oct. 14. See bus timetables.

Historic Sites and Museums: The Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Libraries: The City of Fairfax Regional Library will be closed Oct. 14.

Trash collection: City trash pickup will be on a regular schedule. Other municipal and private haulers may work on a different schedule.

Landfills/Recycling: The Property Yard Recycling Center, I-66 Transfer Station and I-95 Landfill will be open regular hours, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The History of Columbus Day

President Benjamin Harrison organized the first Columbus Day celebration in 1892 to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus landing in the Americas. A little over 40 years later, in 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday.

In recent years, a collection of states and cities have chosen to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including: Minnesota, Vermont, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

A recent poll from College Pulse, a data and survey analytics company, found that 79 percent of 1,500 college students polled favored replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

On average, 88 percent of the students who identified as Democrats supported the name change, and only 22 percent of Republicans polled were in favor of swapping the names.