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Veterans Day 2021: What’s Open & Closed?

[CREDIT: Kim Wineman] A wreath laid at Warwick Veterans Memorial Park on Veterans Day 2019.

[CREDIT: Kim Wineman] A wreath laid at Warwick Veterans Memorial Park on Veterans Day.
[CREDIT: Kim Wineman] A wreath laid at Warwick Veterans Memorial Park on Veterans Day.
WARWICK, RI— Thursday is Veterans Day, the annual federal holiday set aside to honor the U.S. military service of all men and women, living and passed, in communities across the nation.

The first Veterans Day was “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, honoring the first anniversary of the end of World War I, according to History.com. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938.

A few points from History.com to bear in mind as many enjoy a day free from work:

  • In Europe, Great Britain and the Commonwealth countries (mainly former British colony nations) it is common to observe two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. every Nov. 11.
  • Every Veteran’s Day, Arlington National Cemetery holds a memorial service. The cemetery is home to the graves of more than 400,000 people, most of whom served in the military.

The holiday is a federal observance, with many government, social and business services closed.I

In Warwick, City Hall and the school department are closed for the holiday. Trash, recycling, and yard waste pick-ups are delayed one day, starting with today’s schedule.

Public transit RIPTA is following holiday routes on Friday. Check the RIPTA website for schedules.

TF Green State Airport is operating, with arrival and departure schedules online.
Banks are also closed or holding limited hours.
Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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