The July 4th holiday will serve up an extended closure of county offices this year, with all county services except for sanitation, as well as patriotic park activities, shutting down to enjoy a long four-day weekend.

Thanks to Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s decision this year to give state employees a day off on both Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5, county offices have followed suit. In keeping with its standing policy of following the state calendar, the Cullman County Commission on Tuesday approved the same two-day break for county employees across the board.

The move means that the Cullman County courthouse won’t be open on both Thursday and Friday of next week. Sanitation routes, however, won’t be affected by the change. “The only area that will run its normal route on both Thursday and Friday is sanitation, so it’s fine to set your trash out as you usually do on your designated garbage pickup day,” explained county clerk Charlotte Slatton.

Ivey said earlier this month that all non-essential state offices would close on July 5, giving state employees the same break that many of their counterparts in the private sector will enjoy over the long weekend. Festivities at the county-operated Smith Lake Park aren’t affected by the closures elsewhere, with the annual fireworks and music festival set to take place all day on July 4, with camping services and park amenities open through the weekend.