When a grand dame of a certain age marks a milestone, it is likely a single party would be insufficient, and that is true of the 50th anniversary of the Ilikai Hotel & Suites.

The official anniversary began in February, and at least two more official parties are planned. Both soirees will be catered by an incoming Ilikai tenant and longtime Windward Oahu favorite, Cinnamon’s restaurant, scheduled to open at the Waikiki landmark in November.

One party, open to the public, will be staged by the owners association. More on that in a moment.

The other party is a reunion being planned by employees at which they will no doubt share generations’ worth of glowing memories of working at Waikiki’s first luxury high-rise.

As we well know, one of Hawaii’s unique qualities is that its people make family where no blood ties exist. So, it is certain the terms "auntie" and "uncle" will be among the most oft-heard words the evening of Sept. 24. The party is planned for 5:30 to 9 p.m. that night.

A who’s who from the Ilikai’s past has received special invitations for the employees’ reunion. All other employees are invited to secure their spots with a reservation.

Many longtime entertainers have been invited by Nina Kealiiwahamana, entertainment chairwoman, mezzo-soprano and Na Hoku Hanohano Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. While there’s no guarantee they will perform, it is difficult to imagine that there wouldn’t be some sort of kanikapila (spontaneous song and dance).

For decades the Ilikai was a beacon for Hawaii’s visitor industry as a dashing Jack Lord was pictured on one of its lanai in the opening sequence for the original "Hawaii Five-0" series. The actor playing McGarrett 2.0 in the "Hawaii Five-0" reboot seems to be having a similar effect.

However, many people don’t remember that "I Dream of Jeannie," starring Barbara Eden, was first to shoot an episode at the Ilikai, recalled former Public Relations Director Bobbie Watson Kane, who worked there from 1965 to 1971. Eden "was just darling," she said.

Then, at one of the daily managers’ meetings at 7:30 "every morning except Sundays," Kane said, her manager announced they were considering allowing some additional television filming on the property.

"I said, ‘I don’t know, all those cords and the distractions,’" Kane recalled.

"My manager said, ‘We’ve heard your comments, and we’ve decided that what you have to do is make it happen,’" Kane laughed.

"People loved stumbling over the cords," she said. "In my opinion, ‘Hawaii Five-0′ was one of the biggest things to happen for the Ilikai and Hawaii, and it still is!"

Before manned space explorations culminated in the same way jetliners land on runways, space capsules would splash down into the ocean and astronauts would wait to be plucked out of the waves.

The "Houston, we have a problem" astronauts of the Apollo 13 mission splashed down in the Pacific near Samoa on April 17, 1970, and were brought to the Ilikai, which meant the international press gathered there as well.

"That was really an exciting time," Kane said. An entire wing of the 23rd floor was blocked off for "the Secret Service, NASA people" and the like, and "the astronauts walked around in their spacesuits and big white cotton socks," she said. Kane hosted astronaut Jim Lovell and others at the Dynasty restaurant, "and it was just a marvelous time."

Network and wire correspondents including Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Helen Thomas and "anybody who was anybody came out, including every major newspaper in the world," Kane said. The Pacific Ballroom became an international headquarters for the news media.

During her tenure the only other time such a huge press gathering assembled at the Ilikai was for the visit of a South Korean president, she said.

Cabaret acts would stay and perform at the Ilikai, and it was Kane’s job to work on the publicity, which she did through local media folk including Hono­lulu Star-Bulletin columnist Ben Wood, Hono­lulu Advertiser columnist Wayne Harada and morning radio host Hal "Aku" Lewis, who also was an impresario of sorts.

"He let me bring any star who would get up at 6 a.m., and I’d take them to the station," she said, "and he came to all the shows. It was always fun."

The cabaret acts included Jack Benny, Kay Starr, Jim Nabors and Engelbert Humperdinck, she said.

Additionally, an Army officer who arranged shows for military members stopping in the islands for rest and relaxation also managed to book commercial shows at the Ilikai, for the public.

One young man was booked in February to perform in November, and in the intervening months that performer, Tom Jones, exploded onto the scene.

He became an international heartthrob, and despite their front-row seats for his performance, Kane’s teenagers thought it was gross that Jones "spread sweat all over them."

The Welshman may have been knighted in 2006 and sold more than 100 million records, but it is nevertheless unclear whether he has been invited to the reunion.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

The owners association’s "Celebration in the Courtyard" will be open to the public from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 19. The Kawika Trask Trio and hula dancers will perform, and organizers promise fireworks and birthday cake.

Tickets are $20, and there will be a no-host bar and reserved area for ticket-holders.

While preregistration is unnecessary, cash pre-payments will be accepted through Sept. 18 at four spots within the Ilikai, including the AOAO office, Marina Hawaii Vacations and Shell Vacations on the second floor, or at the Ilikai Hotel front desk.

Having opened in 1964, the Ilikai was developed by Hono­lulu businessman Chinn Ho, who also at one time was an owner of the Hono­lulu Star-Bulletin, a predecessor to this newspaper.

The Ilikai was built near Ho’s family’s former rice field and duck ponds, and its lead architect was John Graham Jr., designer of the famed Seattle Space Needle.

At the time it was built, it was the largest condominium in the world, with one-bedroom units listed at $18,000, according to a Rear­view Mirror column Bob Sigall wrote for the Hono­lulu Star-Advertiser a year ago.

Ho adjusted the business model a bit for economic reasons and converted the top four floors to hotel usage.

Then, over the years, the mix shifted to "about 505 hotel rooms and 500 condominiums," according to Kane, where it is now largely condominiums with slightly more than 200 units in use as hotel rooms.

The Ilikai hosted some of Hawaii’s most memorable moments and housed countless world leaders and movie and television stars, Kane said, adding that it was the first co-sponsor of the PGA Hawaiian Open Golf Tournament.

Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com or on Twitter as @erikaengle.