Cambridge Celebrates a Stripper

Who says strippers don’t get respect? Bare it all, get banned from Boston, and you too could get your own holiday in Cambridge.

City councilors agreed unanimously this week to honor Lillian Kiernan Brown—a.k.a. former burlesque dancer Lily Ann Rose—on April 10, 2009, which is now officially “Lily Ann Rose Day.”

Born in Cambridge, Brown became a stripper at age 14 during the 1940s. She was forbidden from performing in Boston after she “mistakenly” exposed her breasts on stage.

More revealing details after the jump.

According to Brown’s Web site, she got a lot of experience under her belt before she turned 18. She befriended mob bosses, champion boxers, and politicians—including JFK. But this didn’t seem to prevent her from being imprisoned at various points by the Chicago Mafia and “an overzealous State Trooper.”

“Lily Ann Rose Day” coincides with the start of the Great Boston Burlesque Exposition and Vintage Fashion Fair, which will be held in Cambridge that weekend. Brown’s coming up from Florida to perform, so you can go check it out…you know, if you’re into that kind of thing.

We at Flyby are still not exactly sure why Cambridge thought it was important to give Brown her own holiday, but then again, she does seem to be an ex-stripper with historical significance. We’ll give the city council members points for being risqué.