President's Day 2022: What's Open, What's Closed In Westfield?

WESTFIELD, NJ — President's Day is on Monday, Feb. 21, and banks, post offices and other government services will be closed for the holiday.

Congress established the holiday decades ago and decided to move the celebration of George Washington's birthday to the third Monday of February every year. Contrary to popular belief, President's Day does not technically include Abraham Lincoln's birthday, on Feb. 12.

The 16th U.S. president was born in 1809 in LaRue County, Kentucky, though his birth state isn’t one of the five — Lincoln’s adopted state of Illinois plus California, Connecticut, Missouri and New York — that observe his birthday as a holiday.

In the public consciousness, though, Lincoln’s birthday is spun in with that of the first U.S. president, George Washington, and is observed on the third Monday in February. This year, that’s on Feb. 21.

Technically, though, the holiday observed on the third Monday of February commemorates Washington’s birth on Feb. 22, 1732.

The Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971 doesn’t mention Lincoln’s birthday, or even Presidents Day. Some lawmakers argued during debate that Washington’s birthday should be renamed Presidents Day to include Lincoln, but Congress rejected that.

Before the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1971, Washington’s birthday was celebrated on the anniversary of his birth regardless of the day of the week.

A few of the services that will be closed Monday for Presidents Day include:

The Federal Reserve system won’t be operating, so that means most banks will be closed. ATMs will operate as usual.

The New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq and bond markets will be closed. So will the U.S. Postal Service.

In Westfield, all municipal offices and the Conservation Center will be closed on Monday.

Westfield Public Schools will also be closed on President's Day.

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