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Thousands of people turn out to see Pittsburgh's giant Rubber Duck

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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
The 40-foot-tall Rubber Duck is pulled up the Allegheny River near the North Shore on Friday Sept. 27, 2013. The duck is the creation of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman and kicks off the American debut of his Rubber Duck Project and start of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
People flock to the North Shore on Friday Sept. 27, 2013, as the Rubber Duck arrives in Pittsburgh.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The three-story-wide Rubber Duck floats up the Allegheny River as it makes its arrival in Pittsburgh on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The Rubber Duck produced makes a tight fit beneath the Fort Duquesne Bridge as it makes its way up the Allegheny River on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
The Rubber Duck is pulled up the Ohio River near the West End Bridge, Friday Sept. 27, 2013. The duck is the creation of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman and kicks off the American debut of his Rubber Duck Project and the start of Pittsburgh Cultural Trust's Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
Susan Eperthener of Bethel Park (left) and Stephanie McElheny of the North Shore, wait with their duck hats the Rubber Duck being pulled up the Ohio River toward the North Shore, Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
Hugo Robbibaro and his daughter, Ruby, 8, of Brighton Heights get a good vantage point on the West End Bridge to watch the Rubber Duck head up the Ohio River on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
The Rubber Duck is pulled up the Ohio River near the West End Bridge, Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The three-story-wide Rubber Duck floats up the Ohio River before its arrival in Pittsburgh on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
Zara Hickman, 26, of Denver waits for the 40-foot-tall Rubber Duck with her own rubber duck, 'Chuck' on the North Shore, Friday Sept. 27, 2013. Hickman traveled to Pittsburgh to see the duck.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman watches his creation, the 40-foot-tall Rubber Duck as it makes its way up the Allegheny River to the North Shore for its debut in America, Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
A giant 40 foot-tall Rubber Duck is pulled up the Ohio River near the West End Bridge, Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Andrew Russell | Tribune-Review
A man walks down the main cable of the Clemente Bridge during an event featuring a giant 4- foot-tall Rubber Duck being pulled up the Allegheny River near the North Shore, Friday. It was unclear what the man was doing on the bridge, but officials said he was not part of the entertainment.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The four-story high Rubber Duck floats up the Ohio River before its arrival in Pittsburgh on Friday, Sept. 27, 2013.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The Rubber Duck floats up the Ohio River past the USS Requin on the North Shore on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.
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Justin Merriman | Tribune-Review
The Rubber Duck produced by a Dutch artist floats up the Ohio River before its arrival in Pittsburgh on Friday Sept. 27, 2013.

They ditched work early, charged their cameras and rounded up the kids, jamming the Allegheny River shores to see a bathtub plaything turned gargantuan.

But for all their shared curiosity, the thousands of people who gawked and hollered on Friday evening at a four-story-tall Rubber Duck couldn't agree whether the spectacle orchestrated by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust amounts to art.

“It's there to make people happy and to bring a city and community together,” said Amelia Shuppy, 25, of Squirrel Hill, who tagged the giant inflatable as art. “I think it's beneficial to get families out to see art as a family event. I think that's important.”

Glenn Lechner, 41, of Ross ran from the South Side to a North Shore lawn to watch a tugboat haul the installation piece, produced by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, up from the Ohio River to the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Yet he wouldn't call it art. His interest was simple.

“A 40-foot duck — I want to see how it looks when it gets in front of me. I want to see how it truly looks,” Lechner said.

Whatever their take on artistic value, that basic wonder was a common theme among the throngs who packed the walkways around PNC Park and in Point State Park, many keeping pace with the duck as it chugged upriver to a welcome party on the bridge. Pittsburgh is its first stop in the United States after having appeared in cities overseas since 2007.

The duck will remain on display through Oct. 20 near Point State Park, where observers said the piece stirs childhood nostalgia, civic pride, community unity and uncomplicated fun.

“It's hard not to be a little bit happier knowing there's a giant duck in the rivers of Pittsburgh,” said Greg Toumey, 58, of McCandless, who snapped photos. “It shows Pittsburgh is open to new ideas. It's a fresh, young idea that makes a city feel fresher and younger.”

The crowds stunned organizers with their sheer size, forcing visitors to walk shoulder to shoulder on some walkways between PNC Park and the Allegheny River.

One man who scaled the bridge and startled onlookers was not part of the official activities, said Paul Organisak, a vice president at the Cultural Trust.

Regardless, supporters said the duck's arrival served notice of the blue-collar city's rising profile in arts and culture. Among other Downtown attractions on Friday: “The Lion King” musical, which sold out the Benedum Center. Yo-Yo Ma opened the Pittsburgh Symphony's season to a sold-out audience at Heinz Hall. And Pittsburgh Public Theater's first weekend at the O'Reilly Theater began with its production of “Our Town.”

“You're getting a mixture in the crowd here,” said Cheryl Mooney, 46, of Natrona Heights, awaiting the duck near the bridge. “You see the guy who's looking like he just came from the mill. You see the Cultural District people. You see the people like us, who are somewhere in between.”

She and her husband, Jim Mooney, 43, agreed: The duck is art.

“I think anything that's attention-grabbing is art in its own way,” Jim Mooney said.

Adam Smeltz is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-380-5676 or asmeltz@tribweb.com.