People gathered in Lexington on Friday to celebrate Lee-Jackson Day. While it is no longer a state holiday, many in the area come together ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

While Lee-Jackson Day is no longer a state holiday in the Commonwealth, many still celebrated in Lexington ahead of Martin Luther King Junior Day.

Hundreds are set to gather in Lexington to commemorate Lee-Jackson Day.

LEXINGTON, Va – For the first time in more than 100 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia did not observe Lee-Jackson Day. Despite it no longer being a state holiday, the Virginia Flaggers and the Stonewall Brigade of the Sons of Confederate Veterans still gathered in Lexington to celebrate the day. Virginia Military Institute removed its Stonewall Jackson statue and the cemetery formerly named for the Confederate general is now named Oak Grove. Friedman said it’s important that his community continue to have hard discussions about what will be best for the city moving forward. The same groups are expected to gather at the Stonewall Jackson statue on Saturday morning followed by a parade along Main Street.

RICHMOND, Va. – Government employees have had Lee-Jackson Day off for the final time. Northam announced that among the voting-related bills he signed, House Bill 108 and Senate Bill 601 will make Election Day a state holiday while stripping Lee-Jackson Day of that status, to maintain the same number of state holidays. The governor also signed House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 111, which allows Virginians to vote 45 days prior to an election without a stated excuse. Currently voters who wish to vote absentee must provide a reason, from an approved list, why they are unable to vote on Election Day. Here are some of the other bills the governor signed related to expanding access to voting: