While you may have seen her picture blown across a Center City billboard, on May 20, you'll get the chance to meet her in person. In addition to being seen on the back of SEPTA buses promoting her latest fitness event, Southampton magazine publisher Jami Appenzeller's mug has been seen by I-95 commuters, just north of downtown Philadelphia. The giant display ad was there for months promoting PhillyFit magazine--a bi-monthly periodical launched by
Appenzeller in September 2004 that is currently making waves in the world of fitness publishing.

Less than a year later, Jami hosted her very first PhillyFit Bash. Primarily informational, the first event was an intimate gathering of 500 or so like-minded people attending with an interest in getting healthy and staying that way. Since that first gathering, Appenzeller has hosted four others. Each one different in it's own way, they were all bigger and much better too, she says. The folks at PhillyFit are hosting the sixth annual PhillyFit Bash right here in Bucks County. Slated for May 20 in Warminster, the Bash is a event where folks can learn a lot about sports and fitness organizations in the Delaware Valley.

The first Bash was held in Jenkintown, as was the second. The third Bash was held close to home--at Spring Mill Country Club in Ivyland. While less than 1,000 folks attended the first event in Motgomery County, here in Bucks, more than 10,000 people attended. Needing bigger digs, Appenzeller, a Southampton resident who publishes the magazine and hosts the annual fitness event, had to move the third event out to Ivyland Country Club. With so many attending that one, Appenzeller needed an even bigger spot so she moved the Bash to an office complex in Oaks.

The last Bash was held September 24 on the campus of Villanova University way out there on the main line. This time, Appenzeller wanted to move the Bash back to Bucks County so Velocity Sports Performance, located in Warminster, will host the event this time around. Many times, it's the host that decides where an event will be held, said Appenzeller. Still, Jami needs to keep the Bash mobilized. Since its inception, the size of her magazine has doubled and circulation has increased dramatically--from 40,000 to more than 250,000 readers.

They're the ones scanning the pages of her periodical on everything health, fitness, sports, nutrition and beauty. The fact that the event has been held in so many different types of venues [a golf course, an office complex] has meant that the PhillyFit Bash has taken on different personalities as it moves to different areas of the Delaware Valley. The Bash held in Oaks was an outdoor event, sponsored by such vendors as the Soccer Post, Philly Rock Climbing and Gold's Gym. At Oaks, Appenzeller thought a fitness competition was in order. So, she and her group organized a Fitness Challenge whereby contestants could try their skill in soccer shooting drills and rock-climbing exhibitions. Held September 2005, Villanova was held indoors. It offered a chance for participants to show off their fitness skills in a different way--dance.

Yes, dancers can be fitness freaks, too. "We had Hula dancers; we had belly dancers. It was wild," exclaimed Appenzeller. Published bi-monthly, Appenzeller's magazine has touched on fitness topics that span the gamut of the sports and nutrition world, from Tae Bo to dancing, runner's world to weightlifters. But, Bash-goers don't have to be fitness nuts to attend PhillyFit. Visitors can find information on holistic healing methods and other types of medical solutions to health problems that plague varying sectors of society. A visit to the Bash is worth the trip, says Appenzeller, simply for the informational value alone. "It's amazing how much support is out there, when it comes to fitness," she says. "Hospitals have programs that involve the community in fitness. Business chains are involved. There's so much out there for people to stay healthy. "PhillyFit wraps it all into a nice little package and delivers it right to your doorstep." *** Animals Included