The Hawai'i State Legislature will commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Eisenhower's signing of the Hawai'i Admission Act Wednesday with a special joint session that will be broadcast live on the state Web site.

Eisenhower's signing came after the Senate and House both overwhelmingly approved the measure a week earlier and cleared the way for a historic, and even more overwhelming vote of acceptance by Territory of Hawai'i citizens.

Wednesday's commemorative event will include remarks from Gov. Linda Lingle, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and House Speaker Calvin Say, as well as musical performances by Danny Kaleikini, Danny Couch, and Kalakaua Middle School student Arshiel Calatrava.

Hawai'i's living governors and their families are expected to attend, including Nancy Quinn (wife of William Quinn), former Judge Jim Burns (son of John Burns), George and Jean Ariyoshi, John and Lynn Waihe'e, and Ben and Vicky Cayetano. Current and former members of Hawai'i's congressional delegation have also been invited, as well as members of the 1959 Hawai'i Territorial Legislature.

"The historic signing of the Hawai'i Admission Act 50 years ago culminated decades of hard work and collaboration, as well as the hopes and aspirations of the people of Hawai'i that their children and grandchildren, as American citizens, would enjoy in perpetuity the rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution," Lingle said in a statement released yesterday. "The Admission Act also recognized the lasting contributions of Hawai'i's people, cultivated through our diversity and rich heritage, would bring to the union."

The 111th Army Band will perform in the Capitol Rotunda from 11:30 a.m. to noon, and two Hawai'i Air National Guard F-15s will conduct a flyover of the Capitol around 11:55 a.m.

The joint legislative session, which begins at noon, is the first in a series of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Hawai'i statehood.