A beloved Seaside Park bakery that dates back nearly 80 years has reopened under new ownership just in time for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Park Bakery, which first opened in 1947, closed unexpectedly last summer. After purchasing the building and spending months planning, the new owners reopened the business Thursday under the name Colonial Park Bakery.

More than 100 people waited in the heat for the grand reopening, eager to get their favorite baked goods.

“So surprised to have it open before the Fourth at all. We didn’t think we would get that far that quickly, but my God, we’ve been waiting for this and we’re loving it,” said Charlie Williams of Seaside Park.

The new owners have operated a bakery in Lavallette since the 1990s and said preserving the longtime bakery was important to them.

“We really loved the baking world. My dad’s been in it since he was a child, and we just felt like it was important to keep it alive,” said Kerry O’Neill of Colonial Park Bakery.

The owners said they plan to keep many of the bakery’s longtime favorites while introducing some of their own recipes to the menu.