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Chris "Thor" McGovern - Tumultuous 2020
![](/Resources/f59795af-2dec-4c1b-896a-de0dc91e865d/McGovernChris%20"Thor".jpg)
Chris McGovern, a Thor role player in full costume, portrays Thor during the first portion of this interview. He talks through his Norse roots and his experiences in the Midwest, specifically Peoria, Illinois. Then as himself, McGovern describes what led him to begin role playing as Thor and the way it has become a form of community service. His impact in the community really began with the COVID-19 pandemic, and McGovern details his experiences as both Thor and Chris McGovern throughout 2020 and 2021.
Interview Links
Abstract
Interview Session (Audio)
Photos
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor (far right), poses with other members of Heroes, Inc. during the Pride Family Picnic in June of 2021 in Peoria, Illinois.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, with a baby at the Pride Family Picnic in June of 2021 in Peoria, Illinois.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern running as Thor during the Steamboat Classic, an annual four-mile race in Peoria, Illinois, in June of 2021.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, (center) and a group of children after a run with the Hash House Harriers in July of 2021 at Gypsy Road Brewing Company in Kernersville, North Carolina.
Where:
Kernersville, North Carolina
When:
July 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, training a child how to wield his hammer, likened after Thor’s mjölnir, at a Batman themed wedding in July of 2021
Where:
Unknown
When:
July 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, instructs children on how to properly wield his hammer, mjölnir, and his axe, jarnbjorn, in July of 2021.
Where:
Unknown
When:
July of 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, with a young girl at Erin Feis, the annual Irish Festival in Peoria, Illinois, in August of 2021.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
August 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, with two women at Erin Feis, the annual Irish Festival in Peoria, Illinois, in August of 2021
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
August 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern’s hammer is likened after Thor’s mjölnir. It sits next to bags of garbage McGovern, as Thor, filled while cleaning up Peoria’s University Street in September of 2021.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, and a little girl pose at a September wedding in 2021.
Where:
Unknown
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, as Thor, with a fellow Heroes, Inc. member who is dressed as Spider Man at the Morton Pumpkin Festival in September of 2021.
Where:
Morton, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern (second from the left), as Thor, poses with other members of Heroes, Inc. at the Morton Pumpkin Festival in September of 2021 in Morton, Illinois.
Where:
Morton, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern poses with his hammer, mjölnir, and axe, jarnbjorn, at the start of the Hash House Harriers’ annual Red Dress Run in September of 2021 in Peoria, Illinois
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern (farthest on the right) poses with fellow members of the Hash House Harriers at the completion of the annual Red Dress Run in Peoria, Illinois, in September of 2021.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Members of the Peoria Chapter of Hash House Harriers present Chris Schaffner, JOLT Harm Reduction’s program director, with a $2,625 check from the funds raised by the annual Red Dress Run in September of 2021.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
September 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
McGovern, dressed as Thor, runs the second annual Endgame Thor Four-Mile Run for Mental Health Awareness Week on October 9, 2021, in Peoria, Illinois.
Where:
Peoria, Illinois
When:
October 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption:
Chris McGovern, dressed in his Thor gear, interviews for the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library’s oral history program’s Tumultuous 2020 project with Amanda Riggenbach on October 19, 2021 at the State of Illinois office of communication studio in Springfield, Illinois.
Where:
Springfield, Illinois
When:
October 2021
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo