UPDATE: What’s Open, Closed For New Year’s in Kane County?
Like Christmas a week ago, New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, so some of the usual rules don’t apply for “What’s Open, What’s Closed” in Kane County, IL. Plus, there have been a few changes in the Metra schedule and other tweaks that you might want to consider as you plan your holiday season to-do’s.
What offices are closed or open on Christmas Day, and when do things start to shut down?
Here’s a quick recap. Click the links for more information.
Kane County Government
Most Kane County offices were closed on Monday, Dec. 26, in celebration of Christmas Day and will be closed Monday, Jan. 2 for the New Year’s Day observance. Obviously, that doesn’t include the Sheriff’s Office, which is 24-7, 365 days a year. And if there’s snow, the Kane County Division of Transportation is going to be plowing streets, whether it’s Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day or any other day, for that matter.
U.S. Post Offices
Post Offices nationwide will be open regular hours on New Year’s Eve. Mail delivery will be unaffected.
Revised hours will be posted at each Post Office, and commercial customers are asked to check with their business mail entry units for specific information about holiday hours of operation. Customers also may call 1.800.ASK.USPS for additional information.
Because New Year’s Day fall on Sunday this year, Post Offices will be closed Monday, Jan. 2, the observed federal holiday. Only Priority Mail Express will be delivered on the actual holiday as well as the observed holiday. All Post Offices will be open and regular mail delivery will resume Jan. 3.
Additional Postal Service holiday information can be found at usps.com/holidaynews.
Metra Really Flies, Mostly
Metra has its own set of holiday schedules. Trains do run on the holidays, but pick out your line on this Metra link to find out exact schedules for your trains.
Metra will be modifying service during the 2016 Holiday Season between Dec. 22 and Jan. 2. For more details, please follow the links below.
A Sunday/Holiday schedule will be in effect on Jan. 1 and 2.
Metra is also extending its $8 unlimited ride Weekend Pass over both three-day holiday weekend, Dec. 31 to Jan. 2. Customers who use the Ventra App to make their purchase will need to select the special “New Year’s 3-Day Pass” instead of the Weekend Pass to receive this special deal on those weekends.
In addition, from Dec. 17 to Jan. 2, up to three children aged 11 or younger can ride free with each adult.
On Dec. 31, most lines will hold the last train of the evening for a later departure time to accommodate customers attending New Year’s Eve festivities downtown. The last train for all three Kane County lines will be 1:15 a.m.
BNSF
- Full Early Getaway Schedule – Dec. 23 and 30
Milwaukee District West
- Early Getaway Schedule – Dec. 30
UP West
- Partial Early Getaway Schedule – Dec. 29
- Full Early Getaway Schedule – Dec. 30
City Hall, Libraries, Park Districts and More
Holiday hours vary for local city hall, library, park district and other government offices in Kane County. Obviously, pretty much all the non-emergency units of government are closed for the New Year’s Day holiday on Monday, Jan. 2, but it’s best to visit the websites of the government offices for more information.
Kane County’s website has some great pages you can use as references. They include links to the local-government web pages in your neck of the woods and include lists of cities, villages and townships.
To find out more about which libraries and park districts are open or closed, visit the individual pages. Here’s a list of links to library districts and park districts in Kane County, once again courtesy of the Kane County, IL, website.
Don’t Forget Garbage Pickup Day Changes!
It’s also good to remember that most garbage pickup days change during the holidays — typically moved back a day from your usual pickup. So check your local municipal websites for more information. Generally, you find that kind of info in the Public Works Department section of your community’s website.
Schools and Extracurriculars
Obviously, public and private schools are closed for the New Year’s Day holiday, but there are a lot of extracurriculars going on during winter break, including holiday sports events.
To find out what’s on and off during the holidays, it’s best to visit the website or Facebook page of your favorite school.
- The Kane County Regional Office of Education website offers a great Public Schools Directory and Private Schools Directory, for more information.
- You can also find links to each Kane County school district, college or community college on this page of the county website.
Kane County Connects
And, for the record, Kane County Connects will be “open” throughout the holiday, but we’re only posting e-newsletters this week and next on Tuesday through Friday, with the weekend edition on its usual Saturday.
