In observance of Veterans Day, Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land announced that all Secretary of State branch offices and the Office of the Great Seal will be closed Thursday.

Licenses and plates that expire on Thursday can be renewed on Friday without penalty. However, motorists can avoid the trip to a branch office by renewing by mail, or if eligible, by touch-tone phone or by visiting www.michigan.gov/sos.

Other offices closed in observance of the holiday include all post offices, 54-B District Court, East Lansing Public Library, East Lansing City Hall and the Hannah Community Center. The Department of Public Works will also be closed, but trash removal will continue.

Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day was established to honor Americans who served in World War I.

The holiday is celebrated on Nov. 11, the day the war ended in 1918. The holiday now honors veterans of any war in which the United States has fought.