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By ALYCIA LEWIS/Missourian  ¦   Miss Missouri USA, Candace Crawford, a broadcast journalism student at MU waves to the crowd as a Missouri representative on Monday.

By CATALIN ABAGIU/Missourian  ¦   Missouri cheerleaders participate in the parade.

By ALYCIA LEWIS/Missourian  ¦   Various bands from high schools around the United States participated in Monday's parade.

By CATALIN ABAGIU/Missourian  ¦   Missouri Tiger fans cheer Marching Mizzou in Dallas, Texas on Monday.

By CATALIN ABAGIU/Missourian  ¦   The Big Mo drum marched on the streets in downtown Dallas, Texas during the parade.

By Keith Myers  ¦   The Kansas City Museum, called Corinthian Hall, will close Jan. 7 and is not expected to reopen until 2010. The city-owned structure and the carriage house behind it will get new windows and doors and other improvements.

By CHIARA DELLA CAVA  ¦   Hanna, 4, Angie, Jacob, 1, and Ben Liess watch Aesop's Fabulous Tales Puppet Show at the Missouri United Methodist Church as part of First Night celebrations on Monday. "It's totally cool," said Hanna of the puppet show. The Leisses participated in arts and crafts activities before attending the puppet show.

By CHIARA DELLA CAVA  ¦   Sebastian Miller, front, Nick Rodriguez, Ryan Hanfelder and Atlante Guajardo jam out at the Teen Venue at the Armory Sports Center during First Night celebrations. Teen Venue has been organized for the past nine First Nights in order to provide teens with a safe and entertaining place to hang out and have fun.

By CHIARA DELLA CAVA  ¦   Nate Smith, dressed as a Teletubby, Jamie Moreno and Pat Harison wait for the traditional 5k run during the First Night celebration Monday. "We are the race vehicle," said Smith, who dressed as Po, theTeletubby character. Smith and Harison are with the Tryathletics store and volunteered to lead the run, making sure no one got off track.

By LAURA CHAPUIS  ¦   Columbia Transit offered free bus rides to and from First Night venues on New Year's Eve.

By SALLY MORROW  ¦   This fifth-grade classroom at Grant Elementary School, housed inside a trailer, caught fire during the early Sunday morning. Fire crews put the blaze out around 5:30 a.m. and were able to contain the fire to just this one trailer, which sits next to several others on the grounds of Grant Elementary.

By SallY MORROW  ¦   Piles of games and shelves full of books are covered in ash inside this Grant Elementary classroom on Sunday morning after a fire. Principal Beverly Borduin says that they lost everything inside the classroom; however she is happy that the fire did not occur during school hours.

By SALLY MORROW  ¦   This fifth-grade classroom at Grant Elementary School, housed inside a trailer, caught fire early Sunday morning. Fire crews put the blaze out around 5:30 am and were able to contain the fire to just this one trailer, which sits next to several others on the school grounds.

By SALLY MORROW  ¦   Piles of games and shelves full of books lay covered in ash inside this Grant Elementary classroom Sunday morning after a fire destroyed much of the room's interior. Principal Beverly Borduin says everything inside the classroom was lost; however, she is happy the fire did not occur during school hours.

By ALYCIA LEWIS  ¦   Jim Cook stands with his flag awaiting the rally for Mizzou fans on Sunday. He traveled to Dallas, Texas, from St. Louis to support the Mizzou football team.

By ALYCIA LEWIS  ¦   Head coach Gary Pinkel addresses the crowd during a rally at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas. Hundreds of alumni and fans attended the rally hosted by the Mizzou alumni association in preparation for Mizzou's game agains Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on Tuesday.

By ALYCIA LEWIS  ¦   Head coach Gary Pinkel addresses the crowd during a rally at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas. Hundreds of alumni and fans attended the rally hosted by the Mizzou Alumni Association in preparation for Mizzou's game against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl on Tuesday.

By CATALIN ABAGIU  ¦   A regular walker on the Katy Trail strolls past the Missouri River on Saturday afternoon in Rocheport. An $18 million grant from AmerenEU as part of the Taum Sauk settlement will be used to extend the trail an additional 46 miles toward Kansas City.

By CATALIN ABAGIU  ¦   Ryan Filbert, front, and his father, Warren Filbert, hunt for deer on a local farmer's property in Woodlandville.

By CATALIN ABAGIU  ¦   Jason Brush, a hunter from Callaway County, shops with his family at Brass Pro Shop on Vandiver Drive in Columbia. Brush said he hunts deer for food and that he doesn't agree with the new deer hunting regulations.