Maine, along with many other states, celebrates Indigenous People’s Day the second Monday in October. This day commemorates the Indigenous communities that have lived in the Americas for thousands of years, since long before European colonization.
All New Gloucester town facilities will be closed, as well as the US Post Office, banks and schools.
Columbus Day, celebrated on this day for many years, originated in part as a response to anti-Italian sentiment in the US, recognized as a national holiday in 1934, and declared a Federal holiday in 1971. Many communities with large Italian-American populations are seeking designation of a separate holiday to commemorate their Italian heritage. Columbus, the Italian explorer, is now widely recognized for his colonization and genocide of Native communities.
