By Lisa Britton

Of the Baker City Heraldr

No joking everyone is invited to offer up their best dish of macaroni and cheese for the first-ever Macaroni and Cheese Bake Off Friday at Mad Matilda’s Coffee House, 1917 Main St. in Baker City.

Entries can come from chefs, teenagers, moms, dads, grandparents anyone who wants a shot at taking home $50 cash for the best-tasting mac and cheese.

Hot, steaming dishes of macaroni and cheese can be submitted at 6 p.m. Friday at Mad Matilda’s.

The cheesy dishes will be tasted by andquot;a panel of esteemed judges representing some of Baker’s finest culinary institutions.andquot;

The contest is sponsored by the Dewey Avenue Social Club and Mad Matilda’s.

For more information, e-mail annaofbakercity@msn.com or call 524-7636.

And now for the art, which comes in three shows: Crossroads Art Center, 1901 Main St.; Mad Matilda’s, 1917 Main St.; and The Sycamore Tree, 2108 Main St. The shows run from 6-8 p.m.

This Friday marks the first show in The Sycamore Tree’s new art gallery, and features G.W. Westberg of Baker City.

Westberg has no formal training and his statement explains: andquot;his artwork is chucked between breaking a colt, spring brandings, haying and elk camps.andquot;

His works on display include several bronze sculptures, pen and ink drawings and charcoal.

Crossroads opens the annual high school art show Friday with music and refreshments. Feature art comes from Baker City, North Powder, Pine-Eagle and Huntington schools and includes samples of the art projects completed so far during the school year.

Baker High, for example, will bring paintings, pencil, pastels, sculpture, sgraffito and ceramics.

andquot;It’s just a blend,andquot; said art teacher Brenda Johnson.

A plus this month is the art will take up the entire gallery at Crossroads because the place is being cleaned in anticipation of the move to the Carnegie Library in April.

Mad Matilda’s, in addition to the cheesy contest, will continue to feature the artwork of David Mitchell.

Mitchell is a paraprofessional at Baker Middle School, and is pursuing a degree in art at Eastern Oregon University.

He is originally from Tulare, Calif., and served in the U.S. Army for four years as a medic. He says andquot;My current work is about the process of establishing relationships. It’s about role reversal and trying to understand something outside you.andquot;

Mad Matilda’s will also be the place for live music Friday with the newly formed group andquot;The Bruno Dunes Trioandquot; featuring local musicians John Woodard, Debbie Friedman and Chris Johnson.

They will play from 7-9 p.m., and the performance will include jazz, folk, rock ‘n’ roll and acoustic.