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DC pools open early
D.C. pools and spray parks are open early ahead of a heat weave in the district.
WASHINGTON - Juneteenth is being celebrated across the county Wednesday and now that this historic day that marked the end of slavery in 1865 is a federal holiday, many businesses are closed and services are suspended.
June 19 — Juneteenth — commemorates the day that Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,0000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas to free more than 200,000 slaves who didn’t know that two and a half years earlier on Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
It’s considered America’s second Independence Day and the official end to slavery.
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
Juneteenth is a paid holiday for state employees in Texas, New York, Virginia, Washington, and now Nevada, and hundreds of companies now give workers the day off.
In D.C., all federal offices are closed — as with any federal holiday — and some additional services in the area are being impacted. But most restaurants, grocery stores and major retailers like Target, Walmart, Costco and Starbucks will be keeping their doors open.
Due to the ongoing heatwave in the DMV, select pools in D.C. will be open from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Juneteenth to help beat the heat.
MORE: Juneteenth 2024 celebrations and other things to do in DC, Maryland & Virginia
Here’s what to know about what’s open and what’s closed on Juneteenth this year:
Banks
The Federal Reserve is observing Juneteenth on Wednesday, which means most major banks will be closed.
Additionally, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ will be closed.
Mail Services
The U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail on June 19 and all post offices will be closed. In some areas, Priority Mail Express will be delivered for an additional fee. Normal business hours and delivery will resume Thursday, June 20.
UPS and FedEx will both run on their normal schedules.
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Public Transit
Metrorail will be on a Saturday holiday schedule, with service from 5 a.m. to midnight.
The Green and Yellow lines will run every 10 minutes. The Red Line will run every six minutes until 9:30 p.m., when they will run every 10 minutes.
The Orange, Silver and Blue Lines will run every 12 minutes until 9:30 p.m., when they will run every 15 minutes.
Metrobuses will run on a Saturday Supplemental schedule, which means some bus routes will not be operating.
DC Streetcar and DC Circulator will run on normal schedules.
In Virginia, the Railway Express will run on its reduced-service schedule and DASH bus services will run normally.
Trash Collection
In D.C., trash collection will be suspended until Thursday, June 20, according to the city’s Department of Public Works.
For many in Virginia, between Wednesday and Friday, June 21, scheduled trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day. Curbside food waste collection will run as usual.
Most Maryland counties will continue to collect trash as usual but Montgomery County says recycling or trash collection will be suspended for the day.
Government offices
All federal offices and schools will be closed. However, at the state government level, some may still be open.
Retail
As with other major summer holidays, private retailers may choose to be open or closed, or amend their hours. Check with your destination Wednesday before visiting.
Corporate offices of major retailers, such as Target, Twitter and Nike, have given employees a paid day off on Juneteenth in the past.