Most City of Grand Rapids offices will be closed Monday, Feb. 16, in observance of Presidents Day. Offices will reopen Tuesday, Feb. 17.
There are no delays to curbside refuse and recycling collection. The Grand Rapids Public Library will operate during regular hours, and police and fire departments remain fully staffed.
So what exactly are we observing, and did you know that the federal holiday is officially called Washington’s Birthday?
The Uniform Monday Holiday Act, signed in 1968 and effective in 1971, moved the celebration from Feb. 22 to the third Monday in February, creating a consistent three-day weekend.
But the date always falls between two presidential birthdays — Feb. 12, Abraham Lincoln, and Feb. 22, George Washington. Over time, Americans began informally calling it Presidents Day, broadening the focus beyond Washington alone.
During Black History Month, Lincoln’s presence in that February window feels especially fitting.
Inside the Lincoln Memorial, the inscription behind the seated president reads:
“In this temple
As in the hearts of the people
For whom he saved the Union
The memory of Abraham Lincoln
Is enshrined forever.”
Lincoln preserved the Union at its most divided moment and issued the Emancipation Proclamation, altering the course of American history. Washington founded the presidency. Lincoln ensured the nation endured.
The holiday may still bear Washington’s name in federal law, but culturally, February has become a shared space — a moment between two birthdays to reflect on leadership, unity and the long arc of American history.
