The Cedar River put on quite a show through downtown Renton Thursday, drawing crowds to bridges to watch as it used its near-record flows to pound bridges with everything from logs to innertubes.

Even the ducks decided to find refuge onshore, sitting snugly on the grass near the Wells Avenue Bridge.

“Their feeding ground is under water,” said Joann Morrison, as she strolled along the river.

And, that’s not all that was underwater.

The Cedar River Trail, four holes at the Renton Municipal Golf Course and a chunk of the Cedar River Park are a mass of brown water.

And all those logs and other debris piled up against the bridge at Renton Municipal Airport.

Not since 1990 has the Cedar River been at this level.

A favorite spot to watch the river is from the downtown Renton Library, strategically placed right over the river. The stretch of river looking toward Cedar River Park probably will become one of the most photographed stretches of river in the city.

The fast-rushing river rose up against the pillars holding the library in place. There was plenty of room (unlike some of the bridges) for the debris to flow freely underneath.

What was on the river, besides the logs? A few innertubes, an ice chest, a pet carrier, are just a few of the fanciful stuff the river carried to Lake Washington.

Dan Stewart of Renton, watching and taking photos this morning from the library’s walkway, put the display concisely.

“It’s nuts. It’s crazy. It’s just insane,” he said.

Mary Webb and her father Les Graff stopped by the library on their way to get the car’s emissions tested.

Graff, who has lived in Renton since 1950, has seen the river even higher. Still, he seemed impressed.

“I think the ocean must have dropped to let this much water over,” he said.

The pillars in early afternoon provided a hint that the worst had passed. There was a wet spot, maybe one or two feet tall, above the level of the river.

The Bronson bridge seemed to fare OK, although the river was lapping at its bottom, too.

Next up, the Wells Avenue bridge, not far from the Renton Senior Center.

It’s here that Morrison and a couple acquaintances, Evelyn Ginithan and Faye Cooper, were watching the drama unfold.

As they stood there, a massive log with a well-worn root ball rushed by, ramming the bridge with a loud thud, breaking up.

“Wow. That’s getting too close,” Morrison exclaimed.

Renton police officers were quickly driving from bridge to bridge to check out the height of the river. One seemed interested in the log that hit the bridge over Wells.

The bridge over Williams Avenue bridge drew a crowd and not too far off in the distance was the Logan Avenue bridge, close to the Renton Senior Center. That bridge seems to sit lower than the other bridges and was taking the brunt of the high water and the debris.

John Slaney, the City of Renton parks maintenance supervisor, was there with some of his crew checking out the river. The intent expression on his face – and his frequent calls on his cell phone – were a sign that all was not well.

At about 10:30 a.m., the reason for his concern became clear. The Logan Avenue bridge was to close. Police officers quickly appeared on either end of the bridge, diverting traffic.

The closure lasted a relatively short time, as officials became more confident the river was going to recede. A longer closure could have disrupted one of the busiest routes into north Renton and the Boeing plant.

For a lot of City of Renton workers, the workday began at dawn at the Cedar River Park. There, they found the river filling the small indent into the park and onto the lower grassy area near Carco Theater. The level wasn’t as bad as 1990, when the depth of the water was about six feet.

Maintenance crews and even some of the recreation staff from the nearby Community Center were out in force, laying down sandbags and a big rubber bladder to keep the water away from Carco Theater.

Lisa McMartin, the lead office assistant at the Community Center, walked up to the workers.

“You guys saved the day,” she told them.