An estimated 600 people attended ceremonies in honor of the 125th anniversary of 'Iolani Palace yesterday and watched the official processional ceremony from the palace gate to the royal throne room.

It was also Admissions Day, the holiday set aside to recognize the day in 1959 when Hawai'i became the 50th state.

The procession of more than 100 people was led by the four Royal Benevolent societies and followed by assorted dignitaries, including Gov. Linda Lingle, Mayor Mufi Hannemann and various state legislators and City Council members.

"This is a big day for the palace," said Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of 'Iolani Palace. "We are here celebrating the king's vision."

Hannemann called that vision vital to Hawai'i's history and the occasion "momentous" to its present.

"This is the icon of Hawai'i," said the mayor. "We're the only state in the nation that has ties to a kingdom. So we must never forget that that's our past."

At the head of the procession was a small contingent of red-shirted Honolulu Fire Department Honor Guard members. That team wore the crest of King Kalakaua in recognition of the fact that the monarch himself had been a member of the old volunteer Honolulu Fire Department.

The firefighters got an impromptu chance to exhibit their skills after the royal party entered the palace and the chant, prayers and hula dancing ceremonies were under way. About 40 minutes into the festivities one member of the party collapsed.

Most of the invited party were not aware of the incident, but the men in red took charge — calling in an Emergency Medical Services team and tending to the victim, an elderly gentleman, until the ambulance arrived.

The man, who was awake and alert when he was wheeled into the ambulance, was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.

"The gentleman just fainted," said firefighter Alden Santos of HFD Engine 28, following the incident. "He seems fine."

Otherwise the celebration went off without a hitch. While the public listened to the Royal Hawaiian Band perform on the lawn at the Coronation Pavilion, the royal party and invited guests attended closed ceremonies inside.

Sporting an 1862 English crozier, or bishop's staff, Episcopal Bishop of Hawai'i Robert Fitzpatrick gave both the opening and closing prayers.

"King Kalakaua and Queen Kapi'olani would have been members of the Anglican Church," said Fitzpatrick, explaining the importance of the role of the bishop in Kalakaua's time. "So they would have been members of St. Andrew's. And the bishop acted as their chaplain, as he did for Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma."

It was an occasion that was worthy of a king, according to EiRayna Adams of the Daughters and Sons of the Hawaiian Warriors.

"There was chanting, hula, pomp and ceremony — you had it all," said Adams as she left the palace after the hourlong observation.

Adams was greeted by hundreds of members of the public who had made their way to the back of the building and were lining up to take an inside tour.

"I came to give my aloha," said Adams. "And I was given a lot of aloha in return. There's quite a number of people here today. And look at their faces. They're all happy."

Lingle agreed, and added that she was intrigued by de Alba Chu's comments about King Kalakaua.

"It was most interesting to hear about the king's circumnavigation of the globe, and that 'Iolani Palace is made up of doors that came from England and tableware that came from France.

"He had a very global outlook. And that was interesting to me — especially today for Hawai'i."

Reach Will Hoover at whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.