Owner of Inuvik's Mad Trapper hopes to pass the bar rag to someone new

Going back to at least the early 1980s, the Mad Trapper Bar in Inuvik has been the place to go on the weekend for those who want to dance with friends, have a cold beer and play agame of pool.

It's had many owners over the years, and current owner Rick Adams is hoping he will pass the torch to someone new after his eight-year run.

"The Mad Trapper, I love," he said.

"We have a lot of fun here, but the thing is right now ... I am getting older and this whole coming home at 3 a.m. thing has got to stop."

The 67-year-old says it's time to focus on his family, particularly his wife Verna Adams, who is battling stage-four cancer.

"I really need now to spend time with my dear wife," he said.

Adams has been in the bar business for 19 years, starting with Frosty's Arctic Pub. He says he jumped at the opportunity to take over the legendary Mad Trapper when it came up for sale.

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The bar is well known to Northerners, and Adams says it was extremely busy when oil and gas companies were in the area during the 1980s.

Adams is listing it for $1.1 million, which includes the building and everything in it, including the sound system. The new owner will just need to get a liquor licence, since he can't sell his.

Only bar in Inuvik

Although other establishments in Inuvik have bar areas, including Shivers Restaurant and the Inuvik Legion, the Trapper is the last remaining dedicated bar in Inuvik.

Adams says his favourite memories are seeing the bar packedwith hundreds of people after a work week, and seeing people of all ages hit the dance floor.

"The nice part about the Trapper is we go from [age] 19 to 80," said Adams.

He says a couple of different people have shown interest in the bar. Although the new owner could convert the building into anything they want, Adams personally wants the Trapper's taps to keep flowing.

"This is my heart," he said. "It's my soul. Even though sometimes it's quite insane here."