You really need to stop at the teapot place

Morning from Central Alberta — five communities, one correspondent, and all the stories the big papers forgot.

I'll tell you what, there are some places you just *know* when you're driving the QE2. You're heading north, maybe from Airdrie, maybe Calgary, and you're just past the Blindman River heading into Gasoline Alley. Before you even see the Red Deer city limits sign, you know you're getting close to that big teapot. Well now, that's Glenn's Family Restaurant and Gift Shop, and they just hit 40 years in business. Forty years! That’s longer than some of the oil fields around here have been producing steady.

And their owner, Glenn, he said it best: "You may forget the name. But you remember to stop at the place with the teapot." That right there is how you know you’ve made it in Central Alberta – not by getting a fancy sign, but by becoming a landmark. A place folks plan their trips around, a place with a story. It’s the kind of spot where you can grab a burger, a coffee, and probably a little knick-knack for your aunt from Saskatchewan all in one go. That’s Red Deer for you, still got those roadside gems that connect us all.

Wyatt Brandt, MiTL Sports Desk, Red Deer.

You can hear more stories like this on the morning show, they're live over at mornings.live.