Juneteenth 2022: What’s Open, Closed, Events Planned In Bergen County?

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Because the federal June 19 Juneteenth holiday falls on a Sunday this year, banks, federal offices and the post office in Bergen County will be closed Monday in commemoration of the date in 1865 when word reached the last enslaved people in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were free.

New Jersey recognized the third Friday in June as a state holiday before the Biden administration made Juneteenth a federal holiday in 2021; thus state agencies will observe the holiday on Friday, June 17, a state government website said. NJ.com reported last year that the setup of the state holiday means that many state government offices will likely be closed, though some essential services — such as the State Police — will remain open.

Many Bergen County public schools, such as those in Mahwah, Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Wyckoff and Paramus, will also remain open.

Some state services, however, are closed or on modified schedules for the federal holiday, New Jersey 101.5 reported.

State courts and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission are closed on Monday, as are financial markets.

UPS is closed Sunday, with no pickup or delivery service. Some UPS locations might have modified hours. FedEx is open.

Path and NJ Transit are operating on a normal schedule.

Many grocery stores will remain open, including most for the following companies: ACME Markets, Aldi, BJ's Wholesale Club, Costco, ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, Wegmans and Whole Foods.

Here is a list of Juneteenth events happening in Bergen County this year.

East Rutherford: American Dream is hosting a Juneteenth celebration from noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday, featuring musical performances from Showcase, Just Blaze, Flygerian and more. The event will take place in the Izod Center parking lot at the mall, and guests must be 21 or older to enter. Tickets can be purchased at juneteenth-nj.com.

Teaneck: Celebrate Juneteenth at 4 p.m. on Friday at the Teaneck Public Library with an event for children that will include a story, craft and snack with Seleene Lewis-Wong. Also in Teaneck, at noon on Saturday, a Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony is taking place at Milton A. Votee Park on Palisade Avenue.

Paramus: A Juneteenth pop-up brunch will be presented from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Italian restaurant Biago's Ristorante in Paramus, with music by DJ Young Fresh and DJ Ray-Z. The event is also billed as a 40th birthday celebration for Ron Fasion and "Lenny the Barber." General admission is $40 and includes a brunch buffet. A VIP ticket is $75 per person and includes a table that seats four.

President Joe Biden signed legislation last year making Juneteenth an official holiday — the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday was approved in 1983. Juneteenth is oldest-known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States.

Patch employees have the day off Monday. Some other businesses around town may also be closed; so if you’re planning to stop by one of them, it’s a good idea to call ahead to make sure the business is open.

Most Bergen Town Center and American Dream stores and restaurants are open on Friday and Monday. But the Paramus shopping center is regularly closed on Sundays, and most of the stores at the East Rutherford mall are also closed Sundays, according to schedules generated on holidayshoppinghours.com.

Some big brands are giving their employees a day off or paying them extra.

Companies that are already looking seriously at diversity, equity and inclusion efforts may see adding Juneteenth as a paid holiday as “something tangible” that “recognizes the importance of that day,” Julie Stich, a vice president of content at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, told NPR.

Nike said in an email statement to NPR that Juneteenth is a paid holiday for corporate, retail, manufacturing and distribution employees across the Nike, Converse and Jordan brands. Zillow is doing the same as part of its “ongoing commitment to racial equality,” the company said in a statement.

Both Zillow and Nike are encouraging employees to reflect on the importance of the day while taking part in volunteering, activism and educational opportunities.

Among them, Target and Starbucks are open, but employees get time-and-a-half pay on Juneteenth, according to a list put together by Entrepreneur.

Tech companies Twitter and Square are giving employees the day off. Google and Amazon aren’t, but they’re encouraging employees to cancel meetings. Amazon is also offering “online learning opportunities” throughout the day.