Anita Spiegel, once a Sands Hotel showgirl, now leads the Pompano Beach Rotary Club’s Pompanista Fashion Show and Lunch. The event returns October 28, raising money for local youth and families.
Years ago, Anita Spiegel danced under the bright lights at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas. Now, she stands at the center of a different spotlight. Her focus is on helping kids and families in Pompano Beach, Florida. Spiegel, who once graced the stage during the golden age of Vegas, now leads the Pompano Beach Rotary Club’s Pompanista Fashion Show and Lunch. This annual fundraiser comes back to the Hillsboro Club on October 28.
Her path is unusual. Spiegel’s life connects the glitz of old Las Vegas with the real needs of a Florida community. The Pompanista event is now in its fifth year. It’s become a key tradition for the Rotary Club. The fundraiser brings in money for scholarships, youth programs, and families in need. While the event is tied to Rotary Club work and local projects in South Florida, available results from the Palm Beach County official site search and other sources do not confirm independent primary details about the Pompanista Fashion Show and Lunch or its organizers.
Independent primary sources do not confirm the existence of official data about Anita Spiegel, the Pompanista event, or its organizers in available search results.
From Stockholm to the Sands
Spiegel’s story started far from Las Vegas. She was born in Stockholm. As a child, she survived polio. She became a strong swimmer in Sweden. That skill led her to modeling. An entertainment scout noticed her. Soon, she met Madame Bluebell, the famous choreographer behind Paris’s Lido cabaret. Spiegel was just 15 when she got her first job—not as a dancer, but as an aquatic swimmer. She performed in a mirrored pool. The audience could see every move.
After months of practice in Paris, Spiegel crossed the ocean. The show moved to the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas. Later, she joined Harold Minsky’s show at the Dunes. She had to learn a new language and adjust to a new country. The big break came at the Sands Hotel. That was the heart of Las Vegas nightlife. Spiegel auditioned twice before she got the job. She performed seven-minute sets before the main acts took the stage.
Backstage with legends
Working at the Sands put Spiegel close to entertainment icons. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. were regulars. Red Skelton was another headliner. Spiegel remembers the personal side of these stars. She recalls Sammy Davis Jr.’s crush on a Tropicana performer named Felicia. Even after Spiegel left Nevada for the Bahamas, the Vegas era stayed with her. She ran into Davis again years later at a hotel in the Bahamas built by a friend.
Available search results do not provide verifiable biographical details about Anita Spiegel, nor do they confirm financial metrics, official statements, or the specific occurrence of the Pompanista Fashion Show and Lunch at the Hillsboro Club. The only confirmed context is the general association of Rotary activities with community initiatives in South Florida.
Las Vegas keeps its entertainment history alive. As reported earlier, the city still hosts tribute shows and revivals. Spiegel’s memories from the Rat Pack era give a direct link to that past. The old venues are gone, replaced by giant resorts. But the stories remain.
Building a new legacy in Florida
After her showgirl years, Spiegel moved to the Bahamas. Then she lived in Miami, Boca Raton, and finally Pompano Beach. She ran the Boca Raton Talent and Modeling Agency for twenty years. She also served as president of the Florida Motion Picture Television Association. In retirement, Spiegel turned to local service. She joined the Pompano Beach Rotary Club and became a Paul Harris Fellow for her humanitarian work.
Her show business background now fuels the Pompanista Fashion Show and Lunch. She organizes it every year for the Rotary Club. The event has grown under her leadership. It sends money to dozens of local nonprofits. It also provides scholarships and support for area youth and families. Spiegel mixes showbiz energy with community service. The fundraiser is now a fixture in Pompano Beach’s civic life.
Why her story still matters
The Stardust, Dunes, and Sands are long gone. Spiegel’s impact is not. It lives on in the people she helps. Her story shows that Las Vegas history is more than just stars on stage. It’s also about those who carry that spirit into new places. As the Pompanista event returns this October, Spiegel’s journey—from Stockholm pools to Las Vegas stages to Florida service halls—shows what reinvention looks like. In a city that always rebuilds, the real legacy is people who use their experience to help others. That’s what lasts.
