Presidents Day 2021: What's Open, Closed In Brookline

BROOKLINE, MA — Three cheers for a three-day weekend if you work for the government or go to school. It also means trash and recycling pick up will be delayed a day. But the extra good news? Free parking all day.

The holiday was actually established in 1885 to honor President George Washington. Then, as part of a Uniform Monday Holiday Act that proposed the country celebrate holidays on Mondays rather than the day they fell on the calendar so that workers could have three-day weekends, it was proposed to be changed. That didn't go over so well at first.

During debate on the bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents Day to celebrate the birthdays of both Washington on Feb. 22 and President Abe Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12. Congress actually rejected the name change in 1968 version of the bill. But after the bill went into effect in 1971, Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name anyway.

Here's a look at the type of things that are open and closed on Presidents Day, Mon., Feb. 15

Businesses: Are you open on Presidents Day? Do you have a deal going on? Email jenna.fisher@patch.com, and we'll let readers know!

• Brookline, state, federal offices: Closed (This includes the parking ticket payment office at the police station).
• Schools: Closed
• Libraries: Closed
• Post Office: Closed
• Banks: Closed
• Restaurants: Open
• Retail stores: Open
• Supermarkets: Open
• Package stores: Open
• Gas stations: Open
• Parking: Free

MBTA: Commuter rail is on a normal winter weekday service schedule. The subway, bus and RIDE systems are on a Saturday schedule.

Trash Collection: Delayed one day (Monday picked up on Tuesday, Tuesday picked up on Wednesday, Wednesday picked up on Thursday, Thursday picked up on Friday and Friday picked up on Saturday).