Even though I’ve lived in Delhi for 36 years, I don’t consider myself an expert on the town’s history.
:
Mike Jiggens • For the News Record
Dec 02, 2025 • Last updated Dec 02, 2025 •
Mike Jiggens File
Even though I’ve lived in Delhi for 36 years, I don’t consider myself an expert on the town’s history. There are still things about this place that I’m discovering.
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Take the recent project by local filmmaker Dean Rainey, for example. As part of his Building History film series, he’s made a segment about Delhi that shares the story of a local amusement park that was just outside of town back in the 1970s.
This park was called Deltasia and aimed to be a smaller version of Disneyland. It was dubbed “Delhi’s Land of Fantasy” and had rides and attractions. The short film premiered at Capitol 33 last weekend with two showings – unfortunately, I missed both. Since I couldn’t attend, I’m still unsure where exactly this amusement park was situated.
I understand that if such a project were attempted today, it might cause some issues with Disney. Considering what I’ve read about its history, there could have been copyright concerns if something like this were tried now. However, fifty years ago we weren’t under such scrutiny as we are today. Back then, people got away with things that would be impossible today.
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The park’s founder seemed quite creative and came up with various unique attractions by transforming ordinary items into extraordinary experiences for visitors. I hope to learn more about this place soon.
A lot has changed in Delhi since I moved here in 1989. When my grandkids visit me, I can tell them things like “See that gas station? There used to be a big building called the Belgian Hall right there. That modern medical facility? An older building stood there once where our local newspaper was .” And then there’s that large empty space – it used to be home to a bustling foundry! Not to mention the gas station and Tim Hortons; they replaced a large car dealership.”
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I could go on endlessly.
I’ve witnessed some parts of what is shown in the Building History Series firsthand. Though I’ve not seen the film yet, I’m guessing their segment on Quance Dam talks about its restoration in the early ’90s. I arrived just in time to follow along with all community fundraising efforts leading up to its renovation and facelift afterwards.
Lately we’ve also started reflecting on other changes Delhi has undergone recently. Now there are six sets of traffic lights compared to only two when I first moved here! Plus we’ve seen an influx of pizza places and gas stations making us one of the top communities per capita for those businesses!
Experiencing these changes firsthand will definitely be part of our town’s history books; however it’s equally fascinating to learn about past moments from before my time or at least before my life as a local resident!
Mike Jiggens is a Delhi resident.
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