Holiday Hours: Indigenous Peoples Day / Columbus Day

Dióscoro Teófilo Puebla Tolín's 'First landing of Columbus on the Shores of the New World,' at San Salvador, W.I., Oct. 12, 1492, from 1862.

Indigenous Peoples Day and Columbus Day is being observed Monday, Oct. 9. As Columbus Day, it commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas on Oct. 12, 1492. As Indigenous Peoples Day, it commemorates the harm to their cultures and communities that followed Columbus' arrival. 

Columbus' voyage had been celebrated on significant anniversaries but did not become an official holiday until being recognized by Colorado in 1905. It was declared a federal holiday in 1937.

Not all states recognize Columbus Day. Some local and state governments, including now the city of Boston, have alternative Native American or indigenous peoples' days to reflect that others had "discovered" the continent long before the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria arrived. Hawaii celebrates Discoverers' Day, marking when the Polynesians arrived on the islands. In Vermont, it's optional for public schools to close; most stay open.

In 2021, President Biden recognized Indigenous People's Day although Columbus Day remains a federal holiday. Massachusetts has not yet recognized it officially but there are bills at the State House that would change the day from Columbus Day. 

Columbus Day in the United States is also Canadian Thanksgiving. The two holidays have shared the second Monday in October since 1971.

The three-day weekend is more often celebrated in New England as the kickoff to the fall foliage season and, in North County, the day of the annual Mount Greylock Ramble, a hike up the state's tallest mountain along the Cheshire Harbor Trail and Ramblefest in Adams from noon to 5 the day before. 

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

Open:
Commercial establishments are required by law not to open before noon unless locally permitted.

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Nearly 100 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.