Memorial Day Weekend 2022: What's Open, Closed In Northfield

NORTHFIELD, MN — Northfield and Rice and Dakota County government offices will be closed Monday, May 30, so employees can observe the Memorial Day holiday. Those offices will resume regular business hours Tuesday.

Banks, courts and post offices will also close, as well as Northfield Public Library. But many restaurants and stores will be open for regular business hours, and some will be offering holiday deals.

Businesses

• CVS: All stores will be open regular hours (some stores are open 24 hours). Check local store hours
• Target: Most stores will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Memorial Day weekend. Check local store hours
• Trader Joe's: Stores will be open regular hours on Memorial Day. Check local store hours
• Walgreens: Stores and pharmacies will be open regular hours, but vary by location. Check local store hours
• Walmart: Stores will be open regular hours. Check local store hours
• Whole Foods: Stores will be open regular hours for the holiday. Check local store hours

The tradition of honoring veterans who died in military service in late May dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the lives of Union soldiers who were killed during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier.

Logan called it "Decoration Day," which it was known as for several years. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Until World War I, Memorial Day, or Decoration Day, was only meant to honor those who died while fighting for the union in the Civil War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the holiday took on a new role to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. The midday time was chosen "because it is the time when many Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday," according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.