Community Corner
Presidents Day Holiday Closures and Events
Both of Southern California's presidential libraries are holding holiday events. Government offices, banks and schools are closed.
Happy Washington's Birthday, or Presidents Day, whichever you prefer.
Although commonly known as Presidents Day, the Monday holiday is still legally Washington's Birthday.
The holiday was shifted from Feb. 22 to the third Monday in February 1971 under the terms of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968. Because the holiday falls between Feb. 15 and 21 it can never fall on the actual anniversary of Washington's birth in 1732.
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The term Presidents Day began being popularized in the 1980s, when retailers combined sales formerly held in conjunction with Washington and Abraham Lincoln's birthdays.
Government offices, courts, schools, libraries, banks and post offices will be closed Monday for the Presidents Day holiday.
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Trash will be collected as usual in Los Angeles.
Metro buses and rail lines will run on a normal schedule. Specific schedules for bus lines can be found on the MTA's website at www.metro.net.
Metrolink trains will run on a normal schedule and have a promotion allowing two people to ride together for the price of one. Train schedules and directions to Metrolink stations are available online at www.metrolinktrains.com or by calling (800) 371-LINK.
Most area museums are open including the California Science Center, the Santa Monica Bay Aquarium and MOCA. LACMA has a free holiday Monday event, sponsored by Target.
To commemorate the holiday, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda is offering free admission, while the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley will mark the holiday with a free set of family-oriented activities.
The Reagan Library exhibit, "Discover the Real George Washington: New Views from Mount Vernon" will be on display at the Reagan Library from Wednesday through May 18, featuring approximately 100 original objects associated with Washington, including the only surviving complete set of his dentures.
The exhibit also includes life-size figures of Washington developed through cutting-edge forensic investigation, three-dimensional architectural models, videos and interactive displays.
The exhibit deals with Washington's life as a general, president, young land surveyor, experimental farmer and entrepreneur. It also explores Washington's views on religion and slavery and the influence of his wife Martha.
- City News Service contributed to this report.
