A group of Chautauqua Adult Day Services clients in Jamestown are pictured with a bunny cake the group created as part of the annual Easter Cake Contest.

How can you tell when spring is here — aside from looking at the calendar?

The longer days?

Rainy nights?

Snow melting?

Chautauqua Adult Day Services officials know spring is here around this time of year when clients start to brainstorm ideas for the annual Easter Cake Contest. Chautauqua Adult Day Services’ Dunkirk Center and Jamestown Center each collect a group of participants within their location and execute a final cake design to submit by April 1. Clients and staff work as a team to decide the flavors, colors, designs and most, important of all, eat it. On the first of April the organization publishes images of the two final cakes on its Facebook page and lets the public decide. The image with the most likes would be declared the winner. The winner would receive the grand prize of a pizza, wings and things lunch at the center.

At the end of the day, the tradition is done time and time again because of its effectual benefits it contributes towards clients. Studies have shown that baking can be an effective form of therapy that can help to aid relaxation and reduce stress and help to calm individuals suffering from dementia. The contest gave something our clients can look forward to and most important of all, a little something sweet to nurture the kind hearts of our participants.

“In the end we are all so very proud of the two final designs and our clients feel very accomplished,” Chautauqua Adult Day Services officials said in a news release. “Our Jamestown location decided to make its cake a ‘cozy bunny on a spring day,’ theme. Jamestown made three bunnies made out of rice krispies treats, marshmallow fondant and plenty of confectioners sugar and built a sleepy bunny, a hopping bunny and a bunny stuck in the bunny hole. The final cake is definitely a nice piece of eye candy — it might just give you a toothache! Happy spring from us and our participants at Chautauqua Adult Day Services, where everyday is a good day!”

Chautauqua Adult Day Services offers senior day programs for adults 60 years of age and older who live in community. The day programs enable seniors to have quality of life through socialization and activity programming. The sites provide breakfast and a hot noon time meal for participants. There is also a community recreation program that helps persons participate in outings in the community and the sites offer pet therapy, ceramics, music programs, arts and crafts on an ongoing basis. Chautauqua Adult Day Services is a not-for-profit United Way community partner.

Chautauqua Adult Day Services has three sites serving Chautauqua County located in Jamestown and Dunkirk. One of its sites in Jamestown, the Present Center, is specifically for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease. For information visit www.seniordayprograms.com or call Jamestown 716- 665-4899 or Dunkirk 716-366-8786.