Big crowd at SI Swimsuit Issue release party

Over a hundred people came out last night to celebrate the release of the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.

The magazine features a photo spread done in Apalachicola and St. George Island          and local tourism officials say the response so far has been staggering.

The magazine will likely be seen by 70 million people worldwide.

Anita Grove from the Apalachicola Bay chamber of Commerce said articles mentioning Apalachicola are being written world-wide – she’s seen stories from newspapers from Arizona to India.

We’re also showing up on tv – with mentions on David Letterman and a special on VH1.

Part of the reason the Gulf Coast was chosen as one of the 5 locations for the magazine was to help draw attention to the area which has seen some difficult times in recent years.

The shoot was a poorly kept secret as it had to be mentioned at a televised county commission meeting last year so the Apalachicola bay chamber of Commerce could get the funding to host the shoot.

But it turns out that Franklin county residents know how to keep a secret, and there was very little discussion about the photo shoot until USA today made the official announcement on February the 11th.

There were even special nametags at Thursday’s party for people who helped with the shoot and managed not to talk about it.

The issue is available as of Valentine’s Day on newsstands, on SI.com and for tablets and phones.

Even if you buy the magazine or the app – make sure to check out SI.com/swimsuit because it has additional pictures and videos.

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