For two decades, they’ve been procrastinators’ best friends on Tax Day.

They are the musicians and cloggers who lighten the mood at the Lawrence post office, 645 Vt., for those rushing in, as late as midnight, to send off their tax returns.

“It’s just kind of a Lawrence thing. This is a great town for that type of stuff,” said Steve Mason, of The Alferd Packer Memorial String Band.

But today, with the number of late filers dwindling over the years, the annual Tax Day party will have a different feel. The post office will close at its normal time, 5:30 p.m., because of a district U.S. Postal Service decision, said Lawrence Postmaster Judy Raney.

“There are a lot more people filing electronically now,” she said.

Mason added that in recent years fewer people have bumped up against the April 15 mailing deadline.

Internal Revenue Service spokesman Michael Devine said the agency expects 78 percent of Kansans to file their returns electronically, including some who have waited until the last minute today.

Raney said the post office still sees a rush of people trying to beat the April 15 mailing deadline, but the postal service has decided not to treat this deadline differently than others.

The last two years, the downtown post office was open until 7 p.m. for tax filers, and for many years people had until midnight in Lawrence.

But today’s normal closing time won’t bring a Lawrence tradition to a halt.

Mason has invited all acoustic musicians to the post office lobby from 5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for a jam session. They might even play the traditional “William Tell Overture” if people trickle in.

They also plan to return to the lobby at 7 p.m. for the traditional music and dancing. The lobby doesn’t close.

“It’s the end of the tax season. Your taxes are due. It’s time for a party,” Mason said.