If you feel you still haven’t paid your respects to the dearly departed albino alligator Claude, there will be a large, public (and free!) “celebration of life” for the deceased 30-year-old gator at the Golden Gate Bandshell.
It is still a melancholy topic, particularly for frequent patrons of Golden Gate Park’s California Academy of Sciences, that the beloved 30-year-old albino alligator Claude who resided there died in early December from liver cancer. His passing left an albino alligator-shaped hole not only at the Academy of Sciences, but in the collective morale of San Francisco.
But just like any well-known human being in San Francisco, Claude is now being set up with a very large public memorial and celebration of life scheduled for 11 am on the morning of Sunday, January 18. The ceremony is free and open to the public, and will be held at the Golden Gate Bandshell at the Music Concourse just outside the California Academy of Sciences.
Claude’s upcoming celebration of life ceremony was discussed Friday morning on a segment of KTVU’s Mornings on 2. It is mostly a garbage segment, focused primarily on a new claymation exhibit called “Tiny Chef, Big Impact” that I cannot fathom will appeal to anyone. But at the 3:11 mark of this five-minute segment, the museum’s associate director of brand marketing Christina Klingenberger-Valdez finally gets around to discussing the good stuff about Claude the Albino Alligator that people actually want to hear.
“We’re really excited that we’re able to celebrate this big guy later this month, with a free celebration on January 18,” she told KTVU. “We’re going to have music, art, speeches, we’re inviting everyone in the community to come join and celebrate.”
Following that ceremony (scheduled to wrap at 1pm), the Academy of Sciences says that inside the museum, they’ll be hosting "special programming, craft activities, and an artisan marketplace featuring commemorative Claude souvenirs available for purchase from local vendors.” That all requires a paid admission, so you can decide for yourself whether that sounds like it’s worth $55 to get in.
On that KTVU segment, Klingenberger-Valdez was also asked if the museum was planning to get another reptile or critter to take Claude’s place in that distinctive man-made swamp.
“Right now we’re just taking some time to sit with mourning for Claude,” she said. “But we’ll keep you posted on what happens next at the museum.”
Though to bide your time until then, or until the Sunday, January 18 celebration of life ceremony, the Academy of Sciences has some Claude-themed Zoom backgrounds and digital wallpapers to keep that icy-white albino alligator fresh in your memory.
Related: Beloved Albino Alligator Claude, Mascot of the Academy of Sciences, Has Died [SFist]
