Columbus Day 2019: What's Open, Closed In Reading?

READING, MA —Most cities and towns in Massachusetts will recognize the federal holiday Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 14. Most government offices, schools and other services will be closed.

President Benjamin Harrison organized the first Columbus Day celebration in 1892 to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus landing in the Americas. A little over 40 years later, in 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt made Columbus Day a national holiday.

In recent years, a collection of states and cities have chosen to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, including Minnesota, Vermont, San Francisco and Cincinnati.

Read: MA 2019 Columbus Day Travel And Traffic Guide

A recent poll from College Pulse, a data and survey analytics company, found that 79 percent of 1,500 college students polled favored replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

On average, 88 percent of the students who identified as Democrats supported the name change, and only 22 percent of Republicans polled were in favor of swapping the names.

No matter how you spend the holiday, various closures may impact your daily routine.

Here’s a look at what’s open and closed in the area:

Schools

School districts are closed in observance of Columbus Day and, in some cases, Indigenous Peoples Day.

Government

Local and state government offices are closed. That includes the Registry of Motor Vehicles. Massachusetts state parks will be open on Columbus Day.

Federal

Columbus Day is a federal holiday, so all post offices are closed in Massachusetts, and the federal court houses in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield are closed.

Retail

Most retail stores, including malls and supermarkets, will be open on Monday. This includes big chains like Stop and Shop, Big Y, and Whole Foods.

Banks

Some banks may be open on Columbus Day, but it's best to call ahead. Larger banks like Chase and TD Bank may be open.