Fans of Claude, the albino alligator who resided in a private grotto at the California Academy of Sciences for 17 years, will have a chance to mourn en masse this weekend in Golden Gate Park.

The January dry spell is turning out to be perfectly timed for the planned public memorial for Claude the albino alligator, who died at the age of 30 in early December due to liver cancer.

As we mentioned earlier, the free event to honor the legacy of this rare reptile will be happening Sunday, January 18. It will be happening on the Music Concourse, at the bandshell, across the from the museum, starting at 11 am. The event will also be livestreamed via YouTube.

The Academy of Sciences said that the memorial will pay tribute to Claude as well as the "power of ambassador animals to connect people to nature and stoke curiosity to learn more about the world around us."

There will also be craft activities for the kids, and an "artisan marketplace featuring commemorative Claude souvenirs available for purchase from local vendors."

There is special programming scheduled inside the museum on Sunday as well.

Claude came to the museum in 2008, not long after the Cal Academy opened, after first being found by an alligator rescue organization in the swamplands of Louisiana. It is thought that there are only 100 to 200 albino alligators in the world at any given time, and they primarily only survive in captivity — Claude's condition meant that he had poor eyesight and would not survive long in the wild.