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Old 01-11-2010, 11:47 AM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,934,961 times
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If you're new to Nova, many public facilities and state offices close for Lee Jackson Day (Jan. 15). It celebrates the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. It used to be Lee Jackson King Day (but Martin Luther King got a separate holiday for his birthday, which is Jan 18).

Both Lee and Jackson lived in Lexington, so if you want to get a "feel" for the historic significance of the holiday, why not head out there for the day to enjoy a parade, speakers, and likely a reenactment or two.

OTOH, if celebrating historic figures is not your thing, another reason to celebrate Lee Jackson Day is it's the midpoint of the Dec-Jan-Feb winter block of months.
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Old 01-11-2010, 11:59 AM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
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I didn't even know they'd been separated. Do those offices close for both?
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Old 01-11-2010, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
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I had no idea they were separated either. Guess some people will get a 4 day weekend then.
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Old 01-11-2010, 12:20 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,934,961 times
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I'm not sure why they were separated. Maybe something to do with King Day being a Federal holiday?

I kind of doubt offices would close for both. My guess is they close for Lee Jackson but open for King Day. That way, federal workers who are off for King Day can use the library and get errands run at the other offices. Yet the state and county workers would still get a day off. But that's just a guess, I could be wrong.
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Old 01-11-2010, 12:27 PM
 
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Both Loudoun and Fairfax County governments are closed for Lee-Jackson Day and MLK day. They enjoy a 4 day weekend. The federal government only recognizes MLK day as a holiday.
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Old 01-11-2010, 12:35 PM
 
Location: Everywhere and Nowhere
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bbandef View Post
Both Loudoun and Fairfax County governments are closed for Lee-Jackson Day and MLK day. They enjoy a 4 day weekend. The federal government only recognizes MLK day as a holiday.
Why am I thinking that as you get out of NoVA, MLK day kind of fades out and Lee Jackson is the one observed by the locals and their govts? Nah, that would be too cynical. Am I supposed to put a rebel flag out on the 15th?
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Old 01-11-2010, 01:05 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,934,961 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CAVA1990 View Post
Why am I thinking that as you get out of NoVA, MLK day kind of fades out and Lee Jackson is the one observed by the locals and their govts? Nah, that would be too cynical. Am I supposed to put a rebel flag out on the 15th?
No, no, no... the appropriate way to celebrate is to get stuck in traffic on Lee-Jackson Hwy.
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Old 01-11-2010, 02:02 PM
 
Location: Suburbia
8,826 posts, read 15,311,022 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CAVA1990 View Post
Why am I thinking that as you get out of NoVA, MLK day kind of fades out and Lee Jackson is the one observed by the locals and their govts? Nah, that would be too cynical. Am I supposed to put a rebel flag out on the 15th?
I agree that it is being too cynical.
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Old 01-11-2010, 02:36 PM
 
Location: Home is where the heart is
15,402 posts, read 28,934,961 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bbandef View Post
Both Loudoun and Fairfax County governments are closed for Lee-Jackson Day and MLK day. They enjoy a 4 day weekend. The federal government only recognizes MLK day as a holiday.
Wow, a 4-day weekend? Lucky ducks!
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Old 01-11-2010, 03:35 PM
 
4,709 posts, read 12,669,699 times
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Virginia established a holiday for the birthday of Gen. R E Lee in 1889 (Jackson was added in 1904)...State offices close for the holiday. When MLK Day was established, it co-incidentally fell on the same Monday as Lee-Jackson Day had for many, many years.

For a while, Virginia combined them into Lee-Jackson-King Day. Folks complained that it was incongruous for two Confederate generals and a civil rights leader...so Lee Jackson Day was moved to the Friday before MLK weekend. This results in a 4 day weekend for VA STATE employees....I don't think anybody else gets 4 days off.

I think it's fair that Lee & Jackson didn't lose their holiday just because Congress happened to choose the same day to honor someone else!
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