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. 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 one of its sites in

For information call Jamestown 716- 665-4899 or Dunkirk 716-366-8786.