From 8 p.m. until just before midnight Monday, Lawrence Postmaster Bill Reynolds stood next to the drive-through mailboxes on Kentucky Street, taking mail from a steady stream of tax filers.

At 11 p.m., he estimated about 600 or 700 people had given him mail.

“It’s kind of fun,” he said. “Ninety-eight or 99 percent of the people driving by always say thank you.”

Tax night in Lawrence isn’t as busy as it used to be. Because of electronic filing, Reynolds estimated the number of customers served dropped in the last 15 years to about 3,000 or 3,500 people.

Because of security concerns and a tight budget, it might be harder for people to file late in the future.

“It’s an extra cost to stay open,” Reynolds said.

Inside the post office, a group of tax night revelers helped ease the pain of late filing. At 9 p.m., the Alferd Packer Memorial String Band began playing, two large pots of chili were set out, and “Balloonman” Bill Wachspress twisted creations such as a flower, a cowboy hat and an antique John Deere tractor.

Bob Hagen, Lawrence, said the party was one of the reasons to file late.

“It’s a nice antidote to something that is otherwise grimly insane,” he said.

A steady stream of people filed into the post office the entire evening.

Stephen Gingerich, assistant professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Kansas University, said there was a moment Monday when he didn’t know if he would complete his taxes.

He taught at a school in Buffalo, N.Y., until August and had to file in two states.

“It just wasn’t until today that I managed to pull it all together,” he said. “I had to find a Kansas tax form online.”

Kinko’s, 911 Mass., also saw its share of late-filing antics. Employee Matt Costabile said frantic filers left three tax forms and three or four checks in copying machines.

“It was very busy this afternoon and very busy last night,” he said. “They run in, get a copy card, run to the copier and run back out. It’s been unreal.”

At H&R Block, 2104 W. 25th St., last-minute filers kept the place busy all day, said Kathleen Nikodym, office manager.

“Some of them are frantic, because they don’t have everything they need,” she said.

Nikodym said H&R Block advised people who couldn’t make the deadline to file an extension and send in a payment.