The City of Falls Church’s City Council having voted last month to recognize on the traditional Columbus Day holiday an “Indigenous People’s Day,” this coming Monday, Oct. 14, the City will celebrate both Columbus Day and the new holiday, City Hall has announced this week.

As a result, the following will occur: City Hall and Mary Riley Styles Public Library will be closed. The Community Center will be open on Monday from 8:30 a.m. – 10 p.m. Some classes and programs may operate on a revised schedule. The Senior Center will be closed. The City Council meeting regularly scheduled for Monday will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall.

In recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day, the Council urged the community to reflect upon the many contributions as well as the continuing struggles of Indigenous Peoples. The City also recognizes that the second Monday in October is Columbus Day as both a federal and commonwealth holiday since 1937 that honors Christopher Columbus and the contributions of Italian Americans and their history.

A Council statement noted that celebrating the two holidays on the same day is a way to inform the understanding of each group’s contributions to the national fabric without demeaning the significance of either.