R.I. trio shows how to do ‘social distancing with elegance and sophistication’

In dark times, three women provide a bright spot with color-coordinated ‘outings’ around the state

Dr. Lagina Bickham, center, her sister Loretta Bickham Talbot, left, and Pamela Gordon, right, spend an evening at Garden City while social distancing with, as they say, "elegance and sophistication." (Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe).Gretchen Ertl/The Boston Globe

CRANSTON, R.I. — They heard Governor Gina M. Raimondo urge Rhode Islanders to get outside during the pandemic — to have fun and be creative.

So three Rhode Island women have begun getting together for elegant, color-coordinated “outings” at parks and iconic spots around the state.

Two sisters — Dr. Lagina Bickham and Loretta Bickham Talbot — and their friend, Pamela Gordon, set up six feet apart, wearing fashionable summer clothing while sitting in lawn chairs, positioned on outdoor rugs amid flower arrangements, candelabras, and dessert trays — each with splashes of their own bold signature color, each wearing sunglasses, each sipping Moet champagne.

“We call this social distancing with elegance and sophistication,” Bickham said.

While the pandemic has cast a pall over the country, the trio is giving people a reason to stop and smile.

“We are trying to brighten everyone’s day,” Bickham said. “We want to give them some eye candy.”

Dr. Lagina Bickham, center, her sister Loretta Bickham Talbot, left, and Pamela Gordon, right, spend an evening, at Garden City in Cranston, Rhode Island. The women call it "social distancing with elegance and sophistication." (Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe).Gretchen Ertl/The Boston Globe

On Wednesday, they set up at Lippitt Memorial Park, at the top of Blackstone Boulevard in Providence. On Friday, they were near the gazebo at the Garden City Center in Cranston.

They also have been to Ocean Drive and Fort Adams in Newport, and The Valley Breeze caught up to them at the Providence River Pedestrian Bridge.

At each stop, they attract a crowd.

“Everyone loves it,” Bickham Talbot said. “They say it makes their day.”

They try to maintain social distance at all times, Bickham said, and if someone gets too close, they reach into the side pockets on their lawn chairs and slip on a face mask.

All three grew up in Providence and now live in Pawtucket, with the sisters living in the Oak Hill neighborhood.

Gordon is a retired financial coordinator at Rhode Island Hospital. Bickham Talbot is a retired training coordinator for food and nutrition at Rhode Island Hospital.

Bickham is a dentist who works at the Thundermist Health Center of Woonsocket, and she said outings provide her with a form of stress relief in a profession that carries a high risk of COVID-19 exposure. She said it helps to take off her N95 mask for awhile and get dressed to the nines.

Dr. Lagina Bickham looks in a mirror as she prepares to social distance outside with her sister and a friend in Cranston, Rhode Island. The three woman have been "social distancing with elegance and sophistication" while taking in Rhode Island landmarks. (Gretchen Ertl for The Boston Globe).Gretchen Ertl/The Boston Globe

In the process, she’s hoping to lift the spirits of others.

“It’s such a bad time right now in the world, both here and abroad,” Bickham said. “Perhaps we can give them something where they can stop and admire and forget about their troubles for awhile.”

Some people have told them they would like to do the same thing — whether with a book club or another circle of friends.

So perhaps this bright spot will grow.

Bickham said the trio plans to bring their vibrant tour to the State House, to Prospect Park in Providence, and to the Temple of Music in Roger Williams Park.

And, she said, “We would love for Governor Raimondo to join us and see how we have taken her request to the utmost degree.”