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. 13. 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 it was 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 Peoples' Day, although Columbus Day remains a federal holiday. Massachusetts has not yet recognized it 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.

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North Adams Airport Commissioners Discuss Next Steps for Restaurant

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
08:05AM / Thursday, February 19, 2026

The vacant restaurant space in the administration building has been waiting for an occupant for six years.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — With the donation of kitchen equipment for the proposed airport restaurant, the Airport Commission met Tuesday to discuss how to manage the incoming equipment and how to best advertise the space.

 

"I like putting the equipment in there but letting whoever is going to go in there figure out where they are going to put it," Chairman James Haskins said during the commission meeting. "Because it does cost a lot of money to do that."

 

The commission has envisioned a restaurant in the renovated administrative building for years; however, with multiple Requests for Proposals (RFPs) going unanswered, the space has remained a shell. It was previously believed that the primary obstacle was the lack of kitchen equipment.

 

Earlier this year, Williams College offered to donate used kitchen equipment that is no longer needed because of an upcoming renovation. That equipment is scheduled for delivery in May.

 

Haskins asked whether the city should pursue a new RFP within the next few months or begin building out the kitchen before advertising the space. He suggested that while installing the equipment could make the space more attractive, it might also dissuade potential restaurateurs who have a different vision for the layout.

 

"We have pretty much a full kitchen," he said. "But I just don't know where any of it goes. Where does the grill go? Where does the fryolator go?"

 

There were also concerns that installing the equipment prematurely could impact the property's insurance and increase liability.