How York rallied to get electric bike for beloved town historian James Kences

YORK, Maine — James Kences, the official town historian, can often be seen riding his bicycle through town as he sets out to preserve York’s storied past.

Fat Tomato owner Dan Poulin thought it was time Kences got a new ride.

Through word of mouth, Poulin led a push to sell T-shirts to raise approximately $1,700 for a new electric bike to give to Kences earlier this year. The bike, which gives Kences more power over hills and long distances, was acquired through York police Lt. Nick Piskopanis, whose family owns a bicycle shop in Massachusetts. It was presented to Kences last month.

Kences, 65, who lives on disability, said mobility has been a challenge throughout his life. He has relied on bicycles for almost 10 years living in York, riding to places like the Old York Historical Society archives on Beech Ridge Road – a hilly part of town, he said.

Kences was always determined to get there on his smaller bike, fit with a basket for carrying his books. He said the new electric bike will make those trips a little easier. He said he was moved when Poulin asked him to join him to the Police Department, where he was presented the gift as a surprise in the station’s garage.

“What can I say? It’s overwhelming,” Kences said.

Poulin said Kences deserves it because he has shown his dedication to York’s history. Kences has overseen the digitization of more than three centuries of York town records, and he was named the Greater York Region Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2017. He was given his title of “town historian” last year.

Giving Kences a new electric bike, Poulin said, was a way to give back. He said they sold 46 T-shirts with the words “Help Keep York Maine’s History Rolling Along” and an image of an old-time bicycle with a big front wheel. Many wanted to help and turned down the shirts simply to donate money, he said.

“Just taking care of a local guy,” Poulin said.

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James Kences is a mainstay in York

Kences calls himself a “vocal local.” He wears it on his baseball cap and wears shirts with messaging that he hopes people in town will see when he rides by on his bike.

“As town historian, I am determined to change how history is done in York,” reads the shirt he wore Friday. “The history of the town has long deserved!”

Kences said he was once withdrawn and challenged with a non-verbal learning disorder. He said York has helped him come out of his shell. He grew up in Marion, Massachusetts, with a school superintendent as a father who, he said, was unsympathetic to his learning challenges. Kences could not complete his math work, and was treated as an underachiever, he said.

While school was a “nightmare,” he said, the library next door offered an escape in his free time. He discovered a love of history in elementary school, he said.

“I self-educated myself about everything that I cared about,” Kences said. “I was learning whenever school was not in session, and I was not learning whenever school was in session.”

Even living near Plymouth, Massachusetts, Kences became fascinated with York when he was studying the history of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, and discovered a connection to the coastal Maine town. He finally got a chance to live in the town when his family moved here in 1992, and immediately became involved in the town’s Historical Society.

Kences felt the warmth of the community in 2015 when his rent suddenly increased, and he was forced to consider leaving town. The owner of the Bagel Basket offered him a chance to live above the store and work out the financial details after.

Kences lives there today, and each day carries down his bicycle to go about his business. The work in York has included a series in the York Weekly each month called “York in American History.” He has spent many hours in the office of Town Clerk Lynn Osgood, who keeps the town records. He also enjoys giving talks and tours on York’s history.

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Kences keeps rolling around York

Kences once drove, but he said he has relied on bicycles for transportation since his last vehicle broke down in October 2014. Over time he embraced the bicycle as an alternative. It’s healthy for one, and it gets him closer to the people of York.

“When you’re on a bike, not in a car, you’re not insulated,” Kences said. “People see you and wave to you.”

Poulin said he sees Kences ride through town, his restaurant Fat Tomato located only a short distance from Kences above the Bagel Basket. He said he thought the bike Kences was riding might be too small, so he decided to see about finding an upgrade.

“We were just chatting one day, and said, ‘What if we got him a cooler bike?’” Poulin said. “One that was more advanced, more everything, better fitting.”

Kences said he is still learning to use the electric bike and will rely on the smaller bike for a little while. He said it can take some time to learn a new skill, noting he needed about a year of challenging focus to learn to drive a car.

“To me, it’s a rather alien technology that I am having to get accustomed to,” Kences said.

Kences said he looks forward to mastering it so he can expand his reach. He said a future project in mind is to act as an ambassador at the Nubble Lighthouse, talking to tourists about the history.

“It’s a steady incline all the way up towards the Nubble,” Kences said.

Climbing that incline will feel good, he said, as he remembers the people in town that helped him get there. He said he takes the kindness shown to him as a sign the town also values its history.

“These people so deeply care,” Kences said. “When I’m ready to ride it, I will be empowered by the awareness of what that means.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York historian receives an electric bike from grateful community