Despite the Presidents’ Day holiday, a handful of town halls across New Jersey opened at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 19 — the first day new civil-union laws took effect — to accept civil-union license applications from gay and lesbian couples.

''We wanted to send a message that we are open to this concept,'' Lambertville Mayor David DelVecchio said about opening the doors of city hall at the earliest possible time.

Lambertville, with a population of 3,480, is a town overflowing with antique shops and inns on the banks of the Delaware River and a place known for its friendliness to gay and lesbian couples.

Five couples, with witnesses in tow, lined up at Lambertville’s city hall at to get their licenses. By midday Feb. 19, six registrations were reported in Collingswood, five in Asbury Park and one in South Orange.

Under the civil-union law, gay and lesbian couples gain rights for adoption, child custody, visiting a hospitalized partner and making medical decisions. Same-sex couples also now have the right not to testify against a partner in state court.

The first couple to get their license at Lambertville was Beth Asaro and Jo Anne Schailey, who have been living in the town for 10 years and together for 20.

''This is a great night,'' Asaro said. ''We’re liberated. It’s fabulous.''

There’s a 72-hour waiting period before newly licensed couples can hold civil-union ceremonies, and several planned to exchange vows early on Feb. 22.

DelVecchio was scheduled to officiate Asaro and Schailey’s civil union at 12:01 a.m., and his staff is preparing for the influx of civil unions over the next two weeks. ''We have a list of 30 couples already signed up,'' DelVecchio told PGN. Many more couples are expected to apply for licenses this week.

Glen Goerig and his partner of eight years, Robert Van Norman, of Trenton, were third in line to get their license in Lambertville.

''We’re going to do a ceremony in June on our ninth anniversary,'' Goerig said.

However, when their turn came, city clerk Lori Bucklew told the couple they had to get their license in Trenton since they planned to have their civil-union ceremony there. Despite the setback of having to wait until the following Tuesday, they were happy to be in Lambertville for this historic occasion. ''We had a great time being here,'' Goerig said.

Other couples getting their licenses at Lambertville’s city hall came from out of state. Tom Curry and Ken Backer of Rehoboth Beach, Del., have been together for 21 years. ''It feels great,'' Curry told PGN about being able to make their relationship official.

Lawmakers in New Jersey created civil unions in December after a state Supreme Court decision held that gay couples had a right to the same benefits as married couples.

New Jersey is now the third state to offer civil unions to gay couples and the fifth to allow gay couples some version of marriage.

Civil unions for gay and lesbian couples are available in Vermont and Connecticut, while Massachusetts allows gay couples to marry. California has domestic partnerships that bring full marriage rights under state law.