What's Open, Closed On Presidents Day 2020 In Leesburg

LEEESBURG, VA — Presidents Day will be Monday, and a variety of services will be closed in Leesburg and Loudoun County for the day. In Virginia, the official state holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February is named George Washington Day or Washington's Birthday.

The holiday, which was originally established in 1885 to honor President George Washington, will provide a much-appreciated three-day weekend for many. But it also means that services such as the U.S. Post Office, banks and public schools will not open on the day.

Here's a breakdown of how the holiday could affect your routine:

Loudoun County Government offices: Closed Feb. 17.

Town of Leesburg Government Offices: Closed Feb. 17

State courts: Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are closed Feb. 17.

Loudoun County Public Schools: Closed Feb. 17.

Loudoun County Public Library: All Loudoun County libraries are closed Feb. 17.

Parking: In Leesburg, parking will be free in the Town Hall Parking Garage, at the Church Street parking lot, and at all on-street meters.

Ida Lee Park Recreation Center: Open regular hours from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Post offices: Closed Feb. 17.

Loudoun County Transit: Premium Commuter bus service and Metro Connection bus service will not be provided on Feb. 17. Local fixed route bus service will operate on regular schedules.

Trash and recycling: There is no change to the Town of Leesburg's trash collection on Feb. 17.

The transition in the holiday's name from Washington's Birthday to Presidents Day began in the late 1960s as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The bill proposed that the country celebrate holidays on Monday rather than when birthdays fell on the calendar so workers could have a three-day weekend.

During the debate of that bill, it was proposed that Washington's Birthday be renamed Presidents Day to celebrate the birthdays of both Washington on Feb. 22 and President Abraham Lincoln's birthday on Feb. 12.

Congress actually rejected the name change in the 1968 version of the bill. However, after the bill went into effect in 1971, Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name.

According to the operators of George Washington's Mount Vernon estate in Fairfax County, though, the U.S. government never officially changed the name. In the 1980s, owing to advertising campaigns for holiday sales, the term became popularized and largely accepted.

"This joint recognition would also celebrate President Lincoln's February 12 birthday within the same period," the Mount Vernon website says, "but arguably, George Washington (the Father of our country) deserves his own day."