Coach Cal will take UK’s national title trophy on a tour across Kentucky beginning on Thursday. (Britney McIntosh, UK Athletics)
Number eight might be coming to a town near you.John Calipari announced on Tuesday night that he and his staff will be taking Kentucky’s 2012 national championship trophy on an nine-stop tour across the Commonwealth. The Men’s Basketball National Championship Trophy Tour presented by Verizon Wireless will begin on Thursday, April 12 and conclude on Saturday, April 14.Fans will have the opportunity to pose for pictures with the trophy at each stop, first in Eastern Kentucky. The trophy will be on display in Ashland, Pikeville and Hazard for an hour each on Thursday afternoon. The tour will then resume on Friday as the staff boards a train at 10:30 a.m. in Lexington at Buchanan St. off W. Main St. near Rupp Arena. The train will depart for Frankfort, the first of four Friday destinations, followed by Elizabethtown, Owensboro and Paducah.At each stop on Thursday and Friday, Coach Cal will address the fans in attendance and take questions from the crowd. The tour will conclude with stops on Saturday in Lexington and Louisville, but only the trophy will make those trips.Here is complete information about each of the destinations on the tour, including times and locations:Thursday, April 12thAshland, Ky.: Kroger (12:00-1:00 pm ET)711 Martin Luther King Blvd.Ashland, KY 41101606.325.8231Thursday, April 12thPikeville, Ky.: Expo Center Main Street Plaza (2:30-3:30 pm ET)Billy Johnson Stage126 Main StreetPikeville, KY 41501-1144606.444.5500Thursday, April 12thHazard, Ky.: Perry County Park (5:00-6:00 pm ET)354 Perry Park RoadHazard, KY 41701-9522888.857.5263On Friday, the staff will board a train in Nicholasville, Ky. that will take them through Midway, Ky. at 11:05 a.m. and arrive in Frankfort, Ky. at 11:45 a.m.Friday, April 13thFrankfort, Ky.: Old Capitol Annex (11:45 am-12:45 pm ET)300 West BroadwayFrankfort, KY 40601Friday, April 13thElizabethtown, Ky.: Kroger (2:30-3:30 pm ET)111 Towne DriveElizabethtown, KY 42701270.737.1710Friday, April 13thOwensboro, Ky.: Kroger (4:00-5:00 pm CT)2630 Frederica StreetOwensboro, KY 42301270.684.9411Friday, April 13thPaducah, Ky.: Kroger (7:30-8:30 pm CT)3141 Park AvenuePaducah, KY 42001270.444.0596(TROPHY ONLY)Saturday, April 14th at Verizon WirelessLexington: Hamburg (10:00 am – 2:00 pm ET)1895 Vendor WayLexington, KY 40509859.264.9582(TROPHY ONLY)Saturday, April 14th at Verizon WirelessLouisville: Old Brownsboro Crossing (4:00 pm – 7:00 pm ET)4830 Norton Healthcare Blvd.Louisville, KY 40222502.339.4949ALL TIMES ARE TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE