What’s Open, Closed On Patriots’ Day; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: The 2023 Boston Marathon

Patriots’ Day, the Bay State’s homegrown holiday, will this year commemorate the 250th anniversary of the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Arlington. Oh, and there will be a road race Monday.

While the first shot was fired in Lexington and the Regulars were halted at North Bridge in Concord, more than half of all casualties that day occurred in modern-day Arlington. Minutemen from surrounding towns converged on Menotomy to ambush the British over the short distance from Foot of the Rocks – at the intersection of Lowell Street and Massachusetts Avenue – to Spy Pond on their retreat back to Boston.

On Monday, April 21, Belmont residents can participate in the celebrations by heading to Arlington Town Hall at 730 Massachusetts Ave. At approximately 12:30 p.m., join the “Menotomy Welcoming Committee” in its annual tradition in greeting riders reenacting the rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes. While awaiting the riders, you are invited to join in family-friendly activities and enjoy light refreshments.

Most of the day’s attention is focused on the Boston Athletic Association’s annual 26.2 miles marathon. It will be a great day for runners and fans as the forecast calls for highs in the low- to mid-60s, with clouds during the race.

So, what’s opened and what’s closed?

Closed

  • Belmont Town Hall, offices, and buildings are closed, as is the Belmont Public Library currently in the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library.
  • Belmont public schools are closed Monday as they are shut for the week-long spring-time break.
  • State offices such as the Register of Motor Vehicles and courts are closed.

Due to the holiday, trash and recycling curbside pickup is delayed a day. If your removal day is Monday, don’t! Bring it to the side of the road on Tuesday.

Open

As it is a state holiday, the US Post Offices on Concord Avenue and in Waverley Square are open as are federal offices.

Star Market on Trapelo Road is open as are retail and convenience stores, eateries and restaurants, and liquor establishments. 

Marathon Monday on the MBTA

While the Red Line subway at Harvard and Alewife will be running on a weekday schedule, buses are on a weekend timetable. In addition:

  • Various bus routes on the marathon route’s North and South sides will be detoured.
  • Due to congestion, bikes are prohibited on all MBTA vehicles on Patriots’ Day.
  • Copley Station on the Green Line will be closed Monday. 
  • View the MBTA’s Patriots’ Day schedule here.

Belmont Police Officer Hurt in Two-Vehicle on Belmont/Arlington Line

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Photo: The incident (Photo courtesy of Boston’s WCVB-TV)

A Belmont Police officer was taken to a local hospital after being involved in a two-vehicle accident on the Belmont/Arlington town line on Thursday morning, June 16. 

In a press release from Belmont Police Assistant Chief James MacIsaac, just before 11:30 a.m., a marked Belmont Police cruiser and a private car crashed at the intersection of Park Avenue and the Concord Turnpike Access Road in Arlington 

The officer and the driver of the private vehicle were taken to local hospitals “with what is believed to be non-life threatening injuries,” said MacIsaac. 

The Arlington Police Department is investigating this crash.

This Weekend: Nearby 4th Fireworks, Power’s ‘3 Piggie Opera’, Benton Story Time Friday

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Photo: The view of Boston’s fireworks from Robbins Farm in Arlington. (arlingtonpictures.com)

• Pre-School Story Time at the Benton Library, Belmont’s independent and volunteer run library, on Friday, July 3 at 10:30 a.m. Stories and crafts for children age 3 to 5. Parents or caregivers must attend. Siblings may attend with adults. Registration is not required. The Benton Library is located at the intersection of Oakley and Old Middlesex. 

• The Powers Music School is bringing little pigs to Belmont with a performance of “Three Piggie Opera” at noon, Friday, July 3, at the school located at 404 Concord Ave. The performers are Powers’ Pow-Wow Prep students, ages five to nine, who attended a two week total immersion in a musical environment. 

Alas, Belmont does not hold a 4th of July celebration, but nearly every other neighboring town and city does. Here are just a few events and fireworks in adjacent communities and in Boston. 

Friday, July 3

• Boston/Fenway Park: The Red Sox will hold a postgame Independence Day celebration after the Red Sox-Astros game. The celebration will include a pyrotechnics show, which will be set to special 4th of July music. The show will take place approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the game and is expected to last about six minutes.

• Lexington: The annual Fourth of July Carnival takes place at Hastings Park through July 4 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Youth Games take place on July 4th at 10 a.m.

Saturday, July 4

• Boston: 10 p.m. Over the Charles River adjacent to the Esplanade. (Don’t want to trek to Boston for the show? Try scouting out a space at Robbins Farm in Arlington.)

• Newton: 9 p.m. Albermarle/Halloran Field, located on Watertown Street, Route 16.

• Waltham: 9:15 p.m. Leary Field, 19 Athletic Field Rd.