Schools, Public Offices Closed For Pulaski Day

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Public offices and schools in Chicago are closed Monday for Casimir Pulaski Day.

The holiday, which is only observed in Illinois, means that all Chicago Public Schools and many suburban schools are closed. Some, but not all, private and parochial schools are also closed.

Also, most City of Chicago and Cook County employees have the day off, and there is no garbage pickup in Chicago.

Libraries are also closed in Chicago, although they remain open in many suburbs.

Cook County civil and criminal courts are closed for the day, with the exception of Central Bond Court (Br. 1), which operates every day of the year. Federal courts are open.

All Chicago Park District facilities such as field houses are closed, and classes and community programs are canceled. The parks themselves are still open for walking or biking as usual.

This is part of a move to balance the Park District budget. The Park District will also shut down on Friday, Nov. 25; Friday, Dec. 23; and Friday, Dec. 30.

Mail will be delivered and picked up as usual, and banks and financial markets are open.

Also, don't forget to feed the meters. Parking meter holidays were done away with at the start of 2009 when the City of Chicago leased its meters to a private company, but Pulaski Day wasn't a meter holiday before that either.

Count Casimir Pulaski was a Polish nobleman who served under Gen. George Washington, and was later placed in charge of the American Continental Army cavalry, earning him the title "father of the American cavalry."

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.