Imagine if a Rip Van Winkle awakens today after a 20-year sleep, rubs his eyes, squints, looks around and finds Columbus Day has almost disappeared in the United States, wonders Grumpy Editor.
Check to see if there is a Columbus Day story in your local newspaper. If not, remind the editor of the occasion.
Columbus Day has been a federal holiday since 1934, marking the time Christopher Columbus, Italian-born navigator and explorer, sailed into the New World on this date in 1492.
But strange things are happening.
Some states now snub the occasion.
Others celebrate today under another banner such as Native American Day, Indigenous Peoples Day or Discoverer’s Day.
Since 1971, Columbus Day has been marked on the second Monday of October. So this year, while appearing on a Monday, the event is being observed on the proper date: Oct. 12.
Columbus Day also brings confusion now.
The stock market is open. Federal offices are closed. The Postal Service is taking the day off. Most banks are closed. Some states observe while others don’t --- with state, county and municipal government offices, schools and libraries open.
To its credit, New York City continues the tradition --- since 1929 --- of spotlighting a major Columbus Day parade along Fifth Ave.
Newspaper headlines with large, bold type are becoming the remaining remnants to remind readers of the occasion.
However, those headlines run atop ads for department and other retail stores proclaiming:
COLUMBUS DAY SALE
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