Hawaiçi marks its 50th anniversary of statehood tomorrow with a conference that asks what the next 50 years will look like.

More than 1,600 people have registered, but space is still available for those wishing to attend.
Hawaiçi New Horizons opens at 8 a.m. tomorrow at the Hawaiçi Convention Center and will address issues vital to Hawaiçi’s history and its future with an opportunity to share, educate and explore different points of view and information.
The topics of discussion are 21st Century Economy, Education for the Next Generation, Energy for Tomorrow and Native Hawaiians: Cultural Navigation in a Sea of Change.
Registration closed Monday but people can still sign up online as well as choose the workshops they wish to attend. Late registrants, however, will not be eligible for the free gift bag and will not be able to purchase the lunch. The continental breakfast and snacks are still available. People also can sign up at the door beginning at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $30, and $15 for students.
Statehood Commission chairman Kippen de Alba Chu said he hopes people come prepared and have seen the displays at airports and the State Library as well as heard or read the 50 Voices of Statehood, featuring prominent Hawaiçi residents.
“Then come to the conference and say now we’re looking at the next 50 years,” de Alba Chu said. “What’s going to happen? How can I be a part of that.”
People who have registered are excited about the lineup of speakers including retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Adm. Timothy Keating, commander, U.S. Pacific Command; and Dean Kamen, who invented the Segway and has a following among the high school robot movement, he said.
The Native Hawaiian panel is also generating interest, de Alba Chu said. “A lot of people want to follow that to learn about the ceded land issue and the Akaka bill.”
The conference includes a free exhibition featuring a career fair as well as exhibits about Energy & Green Living, Innovation & Technology, Agriculture & Industry, Diversity & Culture, Business & Finance, Hospitality & Tourism, and Health, Wellness & Aging.
Opening remarks about Hawaiçi’s present and future are by Castle High School graduate Bryan Clay, 2008 Olympic decathlon gold medalist; Andy Karsner, former assistant secretary, U.S. Department of Energy; and John Zogby, political pollster, Zogby International.
The hope of the conference is to introduce ideas about Hawaiçi’s future, de Alba Chu said.
“Our purpose is that people, companies and businesses use this as a platform and continue these discussions,” he said.