State and county governments are closed today, which is a holiday that has not been celebrated officially since Gov. Ben Cayetano attended an Admission Day commemoration at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

At the time, Cayetano, the governor who preceded Gov. Linda Lingle, said celebrating the day Hawaii became the nation’s 50th state had become too controversial and might be seen as culturally insensitive by Native Hawaiian leaders.

Admission Day, also known as Statehood Day, was established as a holiday to be observed on the third Friday of August. The actual admission date was Aug. 21, 1959, the day President Dwight D. Eisenhower unveiled the new U.S. flag with 50 stars