Get ready Illini Nation, the Fighting Illini Caravan is coming to a city near you in the month of May!

The annual Fighting Illini Caravan will include nine locations across the state of Illinois and in St. Louis throughout the month of May, director of athletics Mike Thomas and fightingillini.com announced  this news on Tuesday. Thomas will be joined on the caravan by football coach Tim Beckman, men's basketball coach John Groce, women's basketball coach Matt Bollant and a number of other Illini coaches and student-athletes.

The statewide tour will feature appearances and community service visits in each city, followed by a reception where fans can interact with Illini coaches and student-athletes. Fans can purchase a reception ticket for $25 online or at the event. It includes hors d'oeuvres, an autograph session, a chance to talk with Illini coaches, and raffles and giveaways.

The 2013 Fighting Illini Caravan will begin May 3rd in southern Illinois, with stops in Marion/Mount Vernon. The tour will swing through Springfield on May 6th and head to Chicago on May 8th, with activities in downtown Chicago during the day and an evening reception in Evanston. The caravan returns to Chicagoland on Wednesday, May 15th, with stops in Schaumburg and Crystal Lake before an evening reception in Rockford.

On Wednesday, May 22nd, the tour will swing through Danville, then will head to the Peoria area on Tuesday, May 28th. The caravan will move to Decatur on May 29th, Bloomington on May 30th and will conclude in St. Louis, MO on May 31st.

If you want to register or see the itinerary list of the caravan for yourself, log on to www.fightingillini.com right now!