I Remember When This Station Was Lamar’s Place – The QT on 1st Ave.

Back in the day, QT gas stations had a dog mascot. Lamar was no stranger in Cedar Rapids. In what is now the Road Ranger on 1st Ave, the Quick Trip was a mandatory stop whenever we drove in on 151 to see a show at The Five.

My friend Jimmy Fitz lived in a house right behind the QT, so we had plenty of 24/7 fuel for those long concert nights. One year we came to town to hang with Jimmy and the boys to see Triumph. Yngwie Malmsteen opened the show with his massive trademark guitar hanging from the curtain. Memories of that show are a bit fuzzy...thanks to the Old Style and Swisher Sweets. Good dog, Lamar.

The closest QT is now in Des Moines. The girls in the KRNA Miller Cold Patrol Jeep made many a stop on 1st Ave. The national campaign back in the day with Lamar The Sheepdog coincided with my ownership of that breed. I had a blonde sheep-mix named Bear. He would've had a good time hanging with Lamar.