Slideshow

By FARRAH PAPPA and LAURIEANN WOJNOWSKI/Missourian  ¦   A fundraising event for the new Ronald McDonald House was held at the Ingredient restaurant in downtown Columbia on November 5.

By John Schreiber  ¦   A 14-year veteran billboard installer describes his work above Missouri highways and interstates.

By CALIN ILEA and KEVIN ROBERTS/Missourian  ¦   Missouri beat Colorado 36-17 on Saturday in Boulder, Colo. Jerrell Jackson's one-handed catch highlighted the Tigers' performance.

By CHRIS DUNN and LAURA HERRING  ¦   Witches, wild things and Scarlett O'Hara, oh my!

Kids of all ages and their families came to the Hearnes Center Field House on Saturday to play games, bounce on moonwalks and collect even more candy at the annual Tiger Night of Fun. Here are a few kids who were excited about their costumes.

Have Halloween photos of your own you'd like to share? Send them to submissions@mymissourian.com. To see pictures sent in by readers, go to http://mymissourian.com/2009/11/01/halloween-2009-your-photos/.

MacXprts celebrated its twentieth year in business with Monster Celebration, a neighborhood-wide Halloween party that treated the residents of Cherry Hill to live music and activities like trick-or-treating.

By Brandon Twichell and Jason Lenhart  ¦   Baklava, cookies, pins and pamphlets were available at the MU Muslim Student Organization's Pink Hijab Day booth outside Memorial Union on Wednesday. Hend El-Buri said that the pink hijab was a way to make people feel comfortable and be willing to approach them to discuss breast cancer awareness as well as stereotypes surrounding Muslim women.

By Angela Hamilton  ¦   Kelly Forck lives and works on Forck Farms in Jefferson City, a working farm of 500 acres that produces corn and soybeans in rotation. Forck, who is the president of the Missouri Soybean Association, has worked with soybeans for most of his life, yet says he would never grow tired of them. A believer in the benefits of using biotechnology — also known as genetic engineering or hybridization — Forck adapts the type of beans he produces to marketplace needs, and sees a bright future in store for biotechnology. Today, biotechnology can be used to alter the flavor, color, protein content and herbicide-resistance of soybeans. Tomorrow, Forck hopes, biotechnology might be used to help prevent or even cure diseases.

By Andrew Feiler  ¦   Costumes from theatrical productions of several eras were sold in a rummage sale called "Blast from the Past" on Saturday. The sale was held at the Warehouse Theatre on the campus of Stephens College. The event was directed by theater department students to raise money for the theater and the Playhouse Costume Shop.

By David Kennedy  ¦   Marching bands from area schools, MU Greek organizations and the Boone County Fire Protection District were among those who participated in the MU Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning. The parade kicked off at the corner of Conley and Missouri avenues and ended at the corner of Elm and Sixth streets.

Residents braved the cold to celebrate Homecoming on Friday night.

By Erica Zucco, Joe Bradley  ¦   David Champlin and D.J. Tucker hit the Big MO drum whenever the Missouri Tigers score a touchdown at the home football game against Furman. Hear what the drum sounds like and see what it looks like when they hit it.

By Angela Hamilton, Caitlin Giddings  ¦   Some cycling teams congratulate each other on the end of another successful racing season with a pat on the back or a handshake. Rick Krepps' cycling team, based out of Raytown, does things a bit differently. At the end of its racing season, the team keeps in shape by competing in cyclocross, a grueling bicycle race based on the French sport of steeplechase. And when they're not hard at work racing their bicycles, the team unwinds by ... racing lawn mowers.

By PATRICK T. FALLON  ¦   Rock Bridge and Hickman's volleyball teams celebrated their seniors in a final home game match up at the Hearnes Center on Thursday night. The Bruins swept the Kewpies 25-15, 25-19 and 25-18. The two teams will meet each other again on Monday during the district tournament to be played in Quincy, Illinois.

By Anne Shifley  ¦   Lots of children, including the Grant Elementary School's drum ensemble, joined the activities at the Family Fun Fest at Flat Branch Park on Wednesday night.

By Mito Habe-Evans  ¦   Every day, Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Chris Belcher visits a different school to have lunch with the students and speak to the faculty and staff.

By ESTEN HURTLE and DAVID KENNEDY  ¦   This fall's foliage show is nearing its peak in mid-Missouri. A few weeks ago, experts at the Missouri Department of Conservation predicted that warm sunny days and cool nights would produce a brilliant display. However, recent cold and damp weather suggesting the colors will be more muted.

By Chris Dunn  ¦   Jam sessions, reuniting bands and unexpected instruments marked the final day of the 2009 Bluebird Music and Arts Festival. The second annual festival celebrated the Midwestern culture.

The Missouri football team lost its second straight Big 12 Conference game Saturday at Oklahoma State.

By Chris Dunn, Daisuke Nakamura  ¦   SLIDESHOW: Tony Hawk and his BirdHouse tour come to Columbia.