No one passing through the 2000 block of Liberty Street in Allentown’s West End could miss Rose Kennedy’s house during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
On Saturday, a cherub could be seen nestled among the riot of Irish flags, shamrocks and leprechauns, blowing a kiss to “our Angel Rosie” as dozens of family, friends and neighbors gathered to pay tribute to the woman Mayor Matt Tuerk dubbed “the glue that held this neighborhood together.”
The late Rose Kennedy is now the official namesake of both the annual Porch Party & Decorating Contest and her own block, with a green, white and orange street sign perched across from her longtime residence, in clear view of the upstairs bedroom her eldest daughter now uses as an office.
When the trash bag covering up the new Rose Kennedy Way sign blew off halfway through the mayor’s block dedication speech, the crowd laughed, raised their glasses and said, “That’s Rosie. She’s here.”
Kennedy and her siblings grew up in the coal town borough of McAdoo in Schuylkill County. Born in 1947, Kennedy moved to Allentown when she was in fifth grade, and she quickly bonded with two best friends who would eventually join her as Class of ‘65 graduates from Allentown Central Catholic High School.
Kennedy died in 2023 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. The surviving members of her “Three Amigos” crew, Marilyn Schuster Miller and Kathy Stoudt, were on hand Saturday.
Schuster Miller called Kennedy’s house the site of “all the good memories” and said the friend group was lucky they all stayed local and stayed in touch.
In high school, the three could be found at every dance, basketball and football game, Schuster Miller said: “Anything we could do to support the school.”
The Paddock was a favorite hangout, Stoudt said, calling high school “the best years” and saying, “We were blessed to have all of our friends.”
Kennedy’s sister, Juliann Bortz, wore Rosie’s green hoodie to Saturday’s festivities and said she could feel Rosie’s presence.
“My sister’s up there loving it,” Juliann said.
Neither a cancer diagnosis nor the pandemic could keep Kennedy from her beloved Zumba, Bortz said, saying Kennedy would exercise on her porch while her friends did their moves in the street.
“Nothing held her back,” Bortz said.
Kennedy and Bortz’s brothers, Vince and Robert, settled in Chicago, but Kennedy stayed in Allentown. She worked for Kraft Foods, worshipped at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church and supported all events held by the Allentown St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.
“Every neighborhood needs a Rosie,” said parade committee member Lisa Arnold, who called Kennedy a beloved friend, proud Irishwoman and a remarkable goodwill ambassador.
Arnold said Kennedy’s “hospitality and warm heart did not stop at the sidewalk,” adding, “When Rose Kennedy said ‘you’re welcome,’ she meant it.”
The party was well underway Saturday by the time Tuerk kicked off the 4 p.m. block dedication. The crowd left the sweets and drinks-laden porch and walked across the street to hear tributes from the mayor, Arnold and Kennedy’s eldest daughter, Rachel Kennedy Holmes.
Kennedy Holmes said she’d largely moved her life to Florida before Kennedy’s illness drew her back to Allentown. Now a member of the parade committee, she thanked the neighborhood and said she felt “blessed to be a part of this family.”
Her mother “would just be tickled green” by the festivities, Kennedy Holmes said.
Kennedy’s younger daughter, Meghan Kennedy, led the cheers after the street sign was officially unveiled.
Kennedy Holmes, 45, and Meghan Kennedy, 40, have kept the party going, Arnold said.
Tuerk said he ran into Rose Kennedy’s daughters during last year’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. When he asked them how their block became the “best single spot in the city” during the holiday, they told him it was Rosie’s doing.
The spirit of their mother exemplifies what it means to rally neighbors and make everyone feel welcome, a charge that is more important than ever in “ongoing, challenging times,” Tuerk said.
With his encouragement, the parade committee filed for the official block dedication that has now cemented Kennedy’s legacy in Irish-colored steel.
“Allentown needs more Rose Kennedys all across the city,” Tuerk said.