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

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Patriots’ Day, the Bay State’s homegrown holiday, commemorates 231st anniversary of the the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first encounters of the Revolutionary War. And there will be a road race Monday.

Most of the day’s attention is focused on the 130th edition of 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- 50s, partly cloudy with westerly winds on the runners back for the entire race. Watch the personal bests fall for the elite pros and all those recreational runners who grind it out everyday.

So, what’s opened and what’s closed?

Closed

  • Belmont Town Hall, offices, and buildings are closed.
  • The Belmont Public Library at its new home on Concord Avenue and the Benton Library.
  • Belmont public schools are closed Monday as they are shut for the week-long spring 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:

  • View the MBTA’s Patriots’ Day schedule here.
  • 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. 

What’s Open/Closed Veterans Day In Belmont: Town Offices, Schools, Post Office Shut For The Holiday; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: The World War I memorial during its rededication in 2015

Standing before the Belmont Lions Club, in the delta fronted by Common Street and Royal Road where in just a few weeks Christmas trees and wreathes will be sold, stands the staid and beautiful monolith bearing the names of the nine residents who gave their lives in the struggle known as the “War to end all wars.”

Cirino, Craigie, Finn, Lincoln, McAleer, Nimmo, Patrioun, Smith, and True. 

Dedicated on this day in 1923 then known as “Armistice Day” and renovated in 2015, it stands as the town’s Cenotaph – an empty tomb – its monument to those Belmont sons who are buried elsewhere.

Belmont’s World War I memorial, the town’s Cenotaph for residents who sacrificed their lives and who are buried overseas.

Laid on the back of the Bethel white granite monument to those who died in World War I are the last lines to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Voluntaries,” written in 1863 to pay tribute to another company of young men prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the nation.

“So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, ‘Thou must,’
The youth whispers, ‘I can.”

Known since the mid-1950s as Veterans Day, Tuesday is a federal and state holiday.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices, temporary library locations at the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library and Belmont Light are closed. They will reopen to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
  • US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.
  • Banks; although branches will be open in some supermarkets.

MBTA: Buses and subways on a Sunday schedule, while the commuter rail is on a weekend schedule. Go to www.mbta.com for details.

Trash and recycling collection: There will be no collection Tuesday, Nov. 11; trash and recycling will be delayed ONE DAY this holiday week.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores.
  • Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are serving coffee all day.
  • Supermarkets.
  • Convenience and drug stores (CVS/Pharmacy) open regular hours.
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

What’s Open/Closed On Indigenous Peoples’ Day In Belmont

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Photo: Indigenous Peoples’ Day is Oct. 13

Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October – this year Oct. 13 – is a federal holiday and observed by the Town of Belmont celebrating Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures.

Curb side trash and recycling pickup will be delayed by one day due to the holiday.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices, Belmont Public Library and Belmont Light are closed.
  • US Postal Service will not deliver mail and post offices are closed.
  • Most banks; although branches will be open in some supermarkets.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores
  • Coffee shops
  • Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts
  • Supermarkets and convenience stores
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

MBTA: Holidays such as Juneteenth, Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, and Veterans Day do not have modified schedules; all services will operate on their regular schedule.

What’s Open, Close On Labor Day; Trash Pick Up Delayed A Day

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Photo: In 1999, the US Postal Service issued a stamp of Rosie the Riveter, the labor icon (credit: USPS)

With Belmont and regional schools set to open their doors this week, Labor Day, held this year on Monday, Sept. 1, ends the last big getaway weekend of the summer.

Trash and recycling collection is delayed ONE DAY due to the holiday: If your pickup day is Monday, this week it will be collected on Tuesday, etc.

The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. 

Before it was a federal holiday, Labor Day was recognized by labor activists and individual states. After municipal ordinances were passed in 1885 and 1886, a movement developed to secure state legislation. New York was the first state to introduce a bill, but Oregon was the first to pass a law recognizing Labor Day in 1887. During that year, Massachusetts joined four other states passing laws creating a Labor Day holiday. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday.

Boston will be holding its first Labor Day Parade in downtown Boston on Monday, Sept. 1 at 9:30 a.m.

Labor Day is one of ten holidays recognized by the federal government, although the feds don’t require employers to pay workers for this holiday. Businesses traditionally provide their employees with a paid holiday as part of a benefits package because most others do the same.

Closed:

Belmont Town offices, Belmont Public Library at both the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library, and Belmont Light are closed.

• US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.

• Banks; although some branches will be open in some supermarkets.

• MBTA: Operating on a Sunday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

What’s Opened:

• Retail stores

• Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are open.

• Supermarkets

• Convenience stores and,

• Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

What’s Open/Closed On The 4th Of July, Fireworks Close To Belmont

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Photo: Old Glory, Belmont

Friday, July 4, the country observes Independence Day, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 (The document was signed on July 2nd). 

Massachusetts’ own John Adams, who signed the Declaration and was the nation’s second president, said the Fourth should be celebrated the day with “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.” Adams died on July 4th, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the document’s adoption, on the same day as the declaration’s chief author, Thomas Jefferson, the third president.

Here is what’s closed and open on the 4th of July.

Closed on the 4th

  • Belmont Town Hall, the public library at the Beech Street Center and Benton Library, and town offices.
  • State and Federal government offices.
  • US Postal Service: Both Belmont post offices are closed; express delivery only.
  • Banks.

Opened

  • The Underwood Pool: Open to members and those purchasing day passes.
  • Retail stores: Open at owner’s discretion
  • Supermarkets: Star Market on Trapelo Road in Waverley Square is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., but the pharmacy will be closed.
  • Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’s on Trapelo Road will operate regular hours. The Dunks on Pleasant and Church will also be open.
  • CVS: 89 Leonard St. (Belmont Center) Store 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Pharmacy 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • CVS: 264 Trapelo St. Store 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Pharmacy 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For those who will be traveling using public transportation, the MBTA is running on the following schedule:

  • Subway will run on a modified Saturday schedule until 3 p.m. After 3 p.m., the subway will run on a weekday schedule.
  • Bus and the RIDE will run on a Sunday schedule.
  • Commuter Rail will run on a weekend schedule. After 8:30 p.m., bikes will not be allowed on board on trains. The last train from Boston’s North Station on the Wachusett route, which serves Belmont and Waverley commuter stops, will depart at 11:40 p.m.
  • There is no fare after 9:30 p.m. on all lines.

Riders are encouraged to purchase the $10 Holiday Weekend Pass for unlimited travel, July 4 – July 6.

Where to see fireworks celebrations near-ish to Belmont:

  • Arlington: Robbins Farm Park on Eastern Avenue just over Route 2. There will be music, and refreshments, with the Boston Pops Orchestra and fireworks on a giant screen. Starts at 6 p.m.
  • Boston/Cambridge: along the Charles River at the Esplanade, 10:30 p.m. A great option: Use the Paul Dudley White Charles River Bike Path along the Charles to get to Boston. A great option for viewing the fireworks is the BU Bridge which remains open all night.
  • Newton: Albemarle Field/Halloran Sports Complex. Carnival rides, food trucks, and a crafts fair starts at 1 p.m. with fireworks at 9:10 p.m.

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.

What’s Open/Closed On Presidents’ Day 2025 In Belmont; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: Presidents’ Day in Belmont, 2025 (credit: USPS)

Two for the price of one. Living in Massachusetts allows residents to have your choice of who we are celebrating on the third Monday of February.

Presidents’ Day is a commemoration of George Washington’s Feb. 22 birthday. And since it fell near the Feb. 12 birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the federal government in 1971 included the two birthdays under one holiday.

And here is a bit of trivia: The Bay State officially celebrates “Washington’s Birthday” on the same day as the federal holiday. So take your pick.

Trash and recycling curbside pick up is delayed by a day.

Closed

  • Belmont Town offices – Town Hall, Homer Building – and Belmont Light.
  • Belmont Public Schools are on winter recess.
  • Belmont Public Library at the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library.
  • US Postal Service offices on Concord Avenue and Trapelo Road: No deliveries.
  • Banks; although some branches will be open in supermarkets.
  • MBTA: Operating on a Saturday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

Open

• Retail stores

• Coffee shops; Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are open

• Supermarkets

• Convenience stores, and

• Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

What’s Open And Closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas in Belmont

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Photo: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Christmas is a day of gift-giving and reflecting on cheerful times from past years around the tree, gift giving, before decamping to the dinner table to watch the latest holiday movie on the Hallmark Channel and professional sports events or just relaxing with family and friends.

For those who don’t celebrate the day, several fine Chinese restaurants will be open, and movies are premiering on the big screen on Christmas. A Complete Unknown the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, and three animated pics: Mufasa: The Lion King, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Moana 2.

And if you have a “need” to get out of the house, here are a few places around town closing early Christmas Eve and open on Christmas:

Christmas Eve early closings:

  • Star Market at 535 Trapelo Rd. will close at 6 p.m. The pharmacy closes at 5 p.m.
  • CVS: The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. is closing at 10 p.m. (the pharmacy at 6 p.m.) and 60 Leonard St. at 10 p.m. (with the pharmacy shutting its doors at 6 p.m.)
  • Starbucks at 110 Trapelo Rd. in Cushing Square will close at 5 p.m.
  • Dunkin’ at 353 Trapelo Rd. is closing at 8 p.m., while the store at 52 Church St. is closing at 7 p.m. The store at 350 Pleasant St. will shut down at 6 p.m.
  • MBTA buses and subway lines will run on a Sunday schedule. The commuter rail is on the weekend schedule.

Christmas Day

Dunkin’

  • The Dunkin’ at 353 Trapelo Rd. will operate from 4:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
  • The 52 Church St. location in Waverley Square will be open from 4 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • 350 Pleasant St. will be open from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Starbucks

  • The “Cushing Village” location at 110 Trapelo Rd. will be open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CVS Pharmacy

  • The store at 264 Trapelo Rd. will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • The operation at 60 Leonard St. in Belmont Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Christmas.
  • The pharmacies on Trapelo Road and Belmont Center will be closed.

Star Market

  • Belmont’s supermarket, located at 535 Trapelo Rd., is closed for the holiday.

If you are looking to get around on the MBTA:

  • The Fitchburg/South Acton Commuter Line will operate on a weekend schedule, and buses in Belmont will also operate on a Sunday schedule.

What’s Opened, Closed In Belmont On A Wet Thanksgiving 2024

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Photo: Thanksgiving (c. 1935) by Doris Lee (1905–1983), Art Institute of Chicago

It’s going to be one wet and cold Thanksgiving.

From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Belmont and eastern Massachusetts will be drenched with nearly an inch of cold rain with the expected high temperature reaching only the mid-40s. While snow could coat the ground in the Worcester hills and out west in Franklin county and there is some possibility of brief freezing rain statewide, the National Weather Service said as of 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving that it doesn’t have enough confidence in widespread icing occurring in eastern Mass. to issue a Winter Weather Advisory.

Despite the forecast, football is on the early morning menu as the 102nd edition of the Thanksgiving Day rivalry between neighbors Belmont and Watertown high schools will take place on Harris Field at (around) 10:15 a.m.

One of only ten recognized by the federal government, Thanksgiving is both a national and state holiday, so most businesses along with federal, state and town offices are closed shut.

In Belmont, town offices, the Senior Center at the Beech Street Center (which currently houses the Belmont Public Library) and the Benton Library will also be closed on the holiday and Black Friday, Nov 29.

But there are a few places where you can get away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen to pick up a coffee or hot chocolate or hit at least one drug store to pickup your prescription you forgot about.

What’s open:

  • Starbucks in Cushing Square (Trapelo and Common) is open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving and 5 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Black Friday.
  • Dunkin’ at Trapelo Road and Beech Street will be operating from 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The location on Church Street in Waverley Square will be open from 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. (go see the newly-remodeled interior that was renovated overnight!) The store at 350 Pleasant St. will be open from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • CVS at 264 Trapelo Rd. is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • CVS in Belmont Center on Leonard Street is operating from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The pharmacy is closed.
  • Star Market in Waverley Square is closed.

What’s Open/Closed Veterans Day In Belmont: Town Offices, Schools, Post Office Shut For The Holiday; Trash/Recycling Delayed A Day

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Photo: Belmont’s World War I memorial, the town’s Cenotaph for residents who sacrificed their lives and who are buried overseas

Standing before the Belmont Lions Club, in the delta fronted by Common Street and Royal Road where in just a few weeks Christmas trees and wreathes will be sold, stands the staid and beautiful monolith bearing the names of the nine residents who gave their lives in the struggle known as the “War to end all wars.”

Cirino, Craigie, Finn, Lincoln, McAleer, Nimmo, Patrioun, Smith, and True.

Dedicated on this day in 1923 then known as “Armistice Day” and renovated in 2015, it stands as the town’s Cenotaph – an empty tomb – its monument to those Belmont sons who are buried elsewhere.

The World War I memorial during its rededication in 2015

Laid on the back of the Bethel white granite monument to those who died in World War I are the last lines to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Voluntaries,” written in 1863 to pay tribute to another company of young men prepared to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the nation.

“So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, ‘Thou must,’
The youth whispers, ‘I can.”

Known since the mid-1950s as Veterans Day, today is a federal and state holiday.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices, temporary library locations at the Beech Street Center and the Benton Library and Belmont Light are closed. They will reopen to the public on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
  • US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.
  • Banks; although branches will be open in some supermarkets.

MBTA: Buses and subways on a Sunday schedule, while the commuter rail is on a weekend schedule. Go to www.mbta.com for details.

Trash and recycling collection: There will be no collection Monday; trash and recycling will be delayed ONE DAY this holiday week.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores.
  • Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are serving coffee all day.
  • Supermarkets.
  • Convenience and drug stores (CVS/Pharmacy) open regular hours.
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.