Well-versed in traditional media of the paper and ink variety, the company puts much stock into digital outreach, into connecting with people through bits of social media messaging bouncing around at light speed.

The big burger is constructed with two lean ground beef patties that are hand-pressed into 12-inch cake pans and cooked to order on a large griddle.

Wray was 60 years old when she participated in her first Artport and still continues at the age of 89. Even though she and her daughter work separately, most often in their own studios; they’ve encouraged one another along the way and enjoyed the surprise of seeing each other’s developments in each show.

“This is our third year, and when we started, we looked around to see what Northwest Louisiana didn’t have, and there wasn’t a gumbo cook-off, so that’s how we got the idea,” Baham said. “The first year we had 1,200 people; last year we had about 2,500, and this year we are hoping for around 4,000 people.