Sandra Reyes strolled across the empty grounds of 'Iolani Palace this week and fully understood why state officials are not marking 50 years of Hawai'i statehood today with any kind of celebration.

"I can see why they would be afraid," said Reyes, who lives in Makaha. "You have to understand the history of Hawai'i."

That sound you don't hear is the celebration of the 50th anniversary of statehood. Oh sure, they're having a conference at the Convention Center today, but it sounds suspiciously like one of those sustainability conferences they have every six months. A highlight of the all-day event is a job fair. That pretty much sums up where we find ourselves at this moment in time.

Anniversaries are good times for the media to sell advertising, kids to compete in poster contests and Reyn's to make a special shirt. For the rest of us just trying to get by, there is a feeling of ambivalence. Anybody throwing a big statehood party in their garage tonight? Anybody soaping "Happy Statehood" signs on their car windows? Anybody going to remember this day as a shining moment 50 years from now? Uh, no.

Today's Admission Day holiday is no cause for celebration, according to a crowd of Native Hawaiians and supporters who rallied Thursday afternoon by the State Building in Wailuku.

"Statehood is a fraud," Kahu Ken Ho'opai Jr. said into a hand-held megaphone as he spoke to passing motorists on High Street. "The truth needs to be exposed. We've been all lied to."

The rally on High Street took place on the eve of today's 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood.

Another rally will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Keolani Place approaching Kahului Airport.