INUVIK
Laughter might have been the best way to raise some much-needed funds for the Inuvik Youth Centre June 27.

Comedian Brent Butt of Corner Gas fame headlined a fundraising event for the Inuvik Youth Centre, June 27 at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

That's when comedians Dave Hemstad and Brent Butt – yes, the man from Corner Gas – took to the stage at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex to provide some comic relief to help wrap up the week of the Inuvik Petroleum Show.

Butt, of course, is best known for his work on Corner Gas. The series has been called the most successful sitcom ever made in Canada, and has attracted something of a cult following.

Hemstad, who appeared at the Just For Laughs Festival, was on his fourth visit to Inuvik. That gave him plenty of fodder for local jokes, from the "prison-like" appearance of East Three school to the End of the Road golf course, which he said is vying to become "Canada's first five-hole course."

That provoked a roar of laughter, as did his observations on the Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway, which he called "a dirt strip."

Still, it was obvious most people came to see Butt, who has become an icon in Canadian show business.

After a bit of a slow start, Butt soon hit his stride, spinning stories of his youthful and none-too-successful days playing minor hockey as a goalie.

In particular, his joy playing the game after buying his first goalie's "athletic cup" caused paroxysms of laughter, as he related how he tried to stop "every shot with his pelvis" that game.

It wasn't long before he was sniping with members of the audience, particularly two men from either side of the room who were heckling him.

One mentioned how he had heard Butt had been caught wearing a hat in the McInnes Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. That's a serious breach of protocol in the legion bar, calling for an obligatory round of drinks to be offered.

Butt acknowledged that was the case, but added there was only one other person in the bar at the time.

"And I didn't pay for the round," he said with a deadpan expression. "What, did it get all over town that Brent Butt was wearing a hat in the legion?"

Afterwards both comedians made time for a quick interview. In private, Butt is arguably funnier than on the stage. He kept up a running comedy monologue with Hemstad during the interview.

"It's the people who keep me coming back," said Hemstad. "It's kind of like going to summer camp. You see some friends once a year, and the sun doesn't go down. And usually I get to work with someone I really like."

"Usually," Butt interjected wryly.

"Usually," Hemstad repeated with a wide grin as he clearly enjoyed a chance to "bust Butt's chops."

"I like it," Butt said moments later. "I've had a hell of a good time here for the last three days, just wandering around. I'd like to come back some time."

He said he was excited to make the visit when his agent informed him of the booking. He had never been this far north before, Butt said, and wasn't likely to come without that kind of incentive.

He said he is basically unadventurous, even perhaps a bit lazy, so he needs something to force him out of his comfort zone.

"I'm a pretty sedentary dude," he said. "I sit around think of things a lot, but I said to myself, 'When would I ever have a chance to come to Inuvik again?'"

Jonathan Wood, a member of the youth committee, said final tallies hadn't been made, but estimated the event raised "thousands of dollars" for the youth centre, which has experienced a bit of a funding crunch.