Holiday closings

Wednesday, Nov. 24, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

Thanksgiving dates back to America's earliest days. The first was celebrated after the Pilgrims' 1621 harvest. President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Nov. 26, 1863, as Thanksgiving Day and ordered that future Thanksgivings be held on the last Thursday in November. That was changed in 1941 when Congress designated the legal holiday of Thanksgiving as the fourth Thursday in November.

Here's what's open and closed on Thursday and Friday (note that some businesses may be closing early on Wednesday as well):

SAFETY: Police and fire emergency services as usual. Administrative offices closed both days.

UTILITIES: Closed both days: Sprint, Southwest Gas Corp., Nevada Power Co., Las Vegas Valley Water District. Closed Thursday, open Friday: Cox Cable.

GOVERNMENT: Closed both days: Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City, North Las Vegas, Clark County, state, courts. Closed Thursday, open Friday: federal offices, federal courthouse.

SCHOOLS: Closed, no classes both days: Clark County public schools, Community College of Southern Nevada, UNLV.

DELIVERIES: U.S. Postal Service: Closed Thursday, no deliveries; open Friday, deliveries as usual. United Parcel Service: Closed Thursday, no deliveries; open Friday for guaranteed delivery services and advance-notice air delivery pickups only, but no regular ground deliveries.

NEWSPAPER: Thursday: Sun published jointly with Review-Journal and delivered in the morning, Sun offices closed. Friday: Sun published and delivered in the afternoon as usual, Sun offices open.

TRANSIT: Downtown Transportation Center: Open both days. City trolleys: Holiday schedule Thursday (one less trolley in operation), regular schedule Friday. Citizens Area Transit buses: Holiday/weekend schedule Thursday (fewer buses in operation), regular schedule Friday.

LIBRARIES: Closed both days: Las Vegas-Clark County District, North Las Vegas District. Closed Thursday, open Friday: Boulder City Municipal, Henderson District.

GARBAGE: Silver State Disposal pickups as usual. Offices closed.

MATRIMONY: Marriage License Bureau open 24 hours, starting 8 a.m. Wednesday and closing 12 a.m. Monday.

FINANCIAL: Banks: Closed Thursday, optional Friday (check your local branch). Brokerage firms: Closed Thursday, open Friday.

ZOO: Southern Nevada Zoological Botanical Park and Children's Zoo closed Thursday, open Friday.

PARKING: City parking metered spaces are free both days.