The world of theme parks was an offshoot of the world of theater and movie set design, where environments are created to makes guests feel like they are in another world.
		The current entrance plaza of Six Flags Great Adventure was added in 1976, America's Bicentennial, and was constructed with a patriotic theme in mind. Known as Avenue of the States, it was built with a few shops lining the sides of the pathway, but between those shops and the front gate were trees, shrubs, and flower beds behind decorative fencing. In 1979, Sweet Tooth Candy was added to offer a second candy store in the park, then in 1985 Sweet Cakes & Cones was added to offer additional food options close to the park's entrance and exit. When Time Warner bought Six Flags Theme Parks in the early 1990's they decided to make investments to enhance, or in some cases create, themed areas in the park that had lost their focus over time and management changes.
		Knowing that Great Adventure's entrance plaza area was lacking, it was given a major update taking the existing Colonial themed buildings and enhancing the details. The new Colonial themed Main Street debuted for the 1994 season with new shops and enhancements all around. New pavement, landscaping, and thematic elements were added. One of the new theme elements was a new facade connecting the Sweet Tooth Candy shop and the Sweet Cakes & Cones shop. The Village Bake Shop was simply a wall with a false window and door in it to create the illusion of an additional shop. In front of the facade, a new patio was added to create a seating area for the adjoining food locations.
	Initially the window of the Bakery was decorated with curtains and three wooden pizza peels, the tool used to take baked goods out of an old fashioned baking oven. The space behind the window was just deep enough to house a small display and over time the original Bakery props were removed and replaced with other items, and later on became a showcase for seasonal merchandise features. The facade and its sign have been repainted and updated over time as well.
	One configuration change was made when a gate which was used by employees to enter and exit the backstage area behind the facade was removed. The gate went away with the addition of a walk up service window for soft serve ice cream on the side of Sweet Cakes & Cones. Around the same time, the decorative trim and overstated "1758" atop the facade were both removed. The original tables and chairs for the patio area in front of the Village Bakery have been replaced over time as well. The original ornate cast metal furniture was replaced with simpler picnic table style seating, sometimes with and without patio umbrellas.
	With more recent updates to the Sweet Tooth shop, the Village Bakery sign was removed and replaced with promotional signage that wraps around the Village Bake Shop's patio area.
Original Spotlight:  August 30, 2021.  GAH Reference#:  FEAT-1994-001