A Veterans Day ceremony is held on the Battleship New Jersey. Veterans Day falls on Sunday, Nov. 11 in 2018 and will be observed on Monday, Nov. 12 (file photo)
Veterans Day 2018: What's open, what's closed on the federal holiday
By Jeff Goldman/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Sunday Nov. 11, is Veterans Day, the annual day to honor men and women who served in the U.S. military. Since the date falls on a weekend in 2018, the federal holiday is observed this year on Monday, Nov. 12.
Veterans Day, which celebrates the service of all military veterans, is sometimes confused with Memorial Day, the holiday in late May that honors those who died while serving in the military.
In 2019, Veterans Day will be observed as normal on Nov. 11, which falls on a Monday.
What is the significance of Veterans Day 2018?
Sunday, Nov. 11 marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. A armistice between the Allied nations and Germany took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month that year.
A year later, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first Armistice Day.
It wasn't until 1938 that Armstice Day became a legal holiday. Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.
On Sunday, veterans and state officials commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of the "Great War" with the ringing of bells at the Trenton War Memorial.
Is Veterans Day a federal holiday?
Yes, in 1926, Congress passed a resolution making Nov. 11 an annual observance. It then became a federal holiday in 1938. It is the eighth of 10 federal holidays each year, with Thanksgiving (Nov. 22, 2018) and Christmas to follow.
November is one of two months with multiple federal holidays along with January, with New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 15 in 2018).
Are schools closed on Veterans Day?
Some schools in New Jersey opt to close in observance of the Veterans Day holiday while others will hold regular class schedules on Monday.
For example, the four of the districts with the largest student populations, Newark, Paterson, Elizabeth and Jersey City, are all closed Monday, providing an extended weekend after schools were closed Thursday and Friday for the teachers' union convention.
But the Toms River Regional, Woodbridge and Edison districts, also among the state's largest, will both be open on Monday. Toms River and Woodbridge schools were closed all last week for a fall break to coincide with the teachers' union convention.
Is there mail delivery on Veterans Day? Is the post office open?
No, post offices will not be open and there will be no mail delivery on Monday because it is a federal holiday.
UPS will be making deliveries. The company says it recognize the holiday, but doesn't observe it. FedEx services except home delivery will operate as normal on Monday.
Yes. All New York Stock Exchange Markets are open on Monday. Trading will also take place on Nasdaq and bond markets.
Are any government offices or courts open?
No. All state, county and local government offices are closed on the federal holiday Monday. All courts statewide are shut as well on Monday.
Are Motor Vehicle Commission offices open? Can I renew my license?
New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission facilities are closed statewide on Monday. It's one of 11 holidays observed by the MVC this year.
Are banks open on Veterans Day?
Major banks with large presence in New Jersey such as PNC, Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo are all closed on Veterans Day. Smaller banks might opt to open for the day.
What about NJ Transit, PATH and SEPTA schedules on Veterans Day?
New Jersey Transit, PATH and SEPTA service will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Monday, Nov. 12.
Some NJ Transit local bus routes might be detoured because of parades, spokeswoman Lisa Torbic said.
Private carriers are also following a regular schedule.
Will stores and malls in New Jersey be open?
It seems to be business as usual at New Jersey's major malls.
For example, Menlo Park, Cherry Hill, the Garden State Plaza, Freehold Raceway and Short Hills are all open normal weekday hours - until 9 or 9:30 p.m. in most cases.
Supermarkets such as ShopRite and big box stores such as Walmart also treat Veterans Day as a normal business day. Costco closes on seven holidays a year, but Veterans Day is not one of them.
Springfield (Union County) Township
MORE VETERANS DAY COVERAGE:
- Jersey City honors veterans with flag-raising, art exhibit (PHOTOS)
- Vintage photos of N.J. veterans
- Which N.J. county has the most veterans and other Veterans Day facts
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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