Holiday Hours: Memorial Day

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Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army
Arlington National Cemetery is the nation's first federal military cemetery. A ceremony is held each Memorial Day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Memorial Day is being celebrated Monday, May 25. It is a federal holiday observing the sacrifices of the nation's servicemen and -women. It started as a day to decorate the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers, particularly in the South, and many states adopted the day as Decoration Day to commemorate all U.S. soldiers after World War I.

Memorial Day was established as a federal holiday in 1971 by Congress. It falls on the last Monday in May.

Closed:
Federal, state and local offices; no mail delivery.
Banks
Public colleges and schools, most private schools
Public libraries
Most offices and businesses


BRTA is not running; office is closed

Open:
Most retail outlets, groceries
Restaurants and bars, by choice
Convenience stores

Memorial Day parades and observances can be found here. 

The state Department of Transportation is urging the public to plan ahead if traveling Memorial Day Weekend, and to expect an increased volume of travelers this year.

All scheduled road work around the Memorial Day Weekend is postponed. 

The Cape Flyer begins service on Friday, May 22, through Sept. 7; veterans, active-duty personnel and guests can ride free on Sunday, May 24, to Hyannis for the annual Troops in the Spotlight event. Find the full schedule here.

Sign up at the 511 Traveler Information Service to receive personalized travel information alerts via email, text or telephone. MassDOT as always reminds drivers to avoid using cell phones while driving. Call into the 511 service before departing. Download Waze, the real-time traffic navigation app that provides motorists with real-time traffic conditions across Massachusetts.

Friday is projected to be the heaviest travel day.

"Memorial Day weekend consistently brings some of the highest travel volumes of the year on Massachusetts roadways," said Undersecretary and State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver. "We encourage travelers to plan ahead, make use of resources such as Mass511 for real-time traffic information, and avoid distractions behind the wheel to help ensure everyone reaches their destination safely."  
 

Tags: holiday hours,   Memorial Day,   

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Hoosac Valley Students Find Their Voice Through Advisory Board

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — For the last three years, Hoosac Valley High School has encouraged students to take part in shaping their school community through its Student Adult Advisory Board. 
 
The board has become popular among students, with approximately 70 members currently enrolled and a waiting list of others eager to join — the largest it has ever been, said Jaclyn Ricci, history teacher. 
 
"It gives us such a voice in the school, and I just think it's something every school should have because it really just brings all of us together, our whole student body as one, and helps us be more comfortable with each other," senior Rylin Larabee said. 
 
Students highlighted how the initiative allows them to work alongside school administrators and other adults to implement policies and advance programming, from bringing back the peer mentorship program and planning enrichment activities based on the student body's needs to advancing multi-year plans for outdoor classrooms and planning school celebrations and pep rallies. 
 
"I feel like it brought me closer to a lot of the advisers that we work with, and the teachers in the building, and just being able to communicate with them and explain, like student to teacher, how both of us are feeling about different roles that we have in our school," senior Leyah Brown said. 
 
Senior Preston Hnatonko said the Student Adult Advisory Board (SAAB) operates similarly to government in that it gives students firsthand experience in developing policies. They can then carry that experience beyond graduation and advocate for change and influence public policy as adults.
 
As an environmentalist, Hnatonko said one of the biggest things the program has done is teach him how to write legislation for the causes he believes in. 
 
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