Columbus Day 2019: What's Open, What's Closed In Woodbridge

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Woodbridge and other Prince William County communities will recognize the federal holiday Columbus Day on Monday, Oct. 14. Government offices, schools and other services will be closed. Other services may be open or run on a different schedule.

Here's a look at what's open and closed around Woodbridge:

Prince William County Offices: All county offices will be closed Oct. 14.

Prince William County Schools: There will be no school for students Oct. 14.

Post Offices: Closed Oct. 14. No mail will be delivered.

County Courts: All Prince William County courts will be closed Oct. 14.

State Courts: Circuit Court, General District Court and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court are closed Oct. 14.

Metrorail: The Metrorail system will be open 5 a.m.-11:30 p.m. and operate on a Saturday schedule on Oct. 14. Parking will be free at all Metro parking facilities, and off-peak fares will be in effect all day.

Metrobus: Buses will operate on a Saturday and supplemental schedule on Oct. 14. See bus timetables.

Virginia Railway Express: VRE does not operate on Columbus Day. For more information, visit www.vre.org.

Libraries: All Prince William County Public Libraries are closed Monday, Oct. 14. Potomac and Haymarket Gainesville Community Libraries will not be accepting passports during this time.

Historic Sites and Museums: Manassas National Battlefield Park is open regular hours Oct. 14. Many county historic sites including the Rippon Lodge Historic Site in Woodbridge are also open for tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Landfill/Recycling: The County Landfill in Manassas will open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Columbus Day, as will the Balls Ford Road Compost Facility, which will be open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents may also take recycling to several drop-off trailers throughout the county.

Trash Collection: Check with your independent provider about trash collection.

The History of Columbus Day

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.

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.