It was a real circus out there

There was the woman handing out bottles of orange juice, shouting "Free O.J."

Then there was the man in the chicken suit, waving the "Jail -- not bail" sign.

It was, according to Houston tourist Susanne Buttram, "one of those things that you'll never get to see again."

Which is why she joined her husband and dozens of spectators, who were joining a throng of journalists 100 strong, to create the spectacle that was O.J. Simpson's bail hearing.

Simpson's first appearance in court Wednesday drew self-promoters, protesters and a few nuts to a Las Vegas downtown already turned into a parking lot for media satellite vans.

They provided plenty of fodder for the reporters, cameramen, producers and photographers recording Simpson's greatest turn in the spotlight since a California jury acquitted him of double-murder charges in 1995.

A swarm of cameramen converged on the "O.J. Queen," who wouldn't provide her real name, when she rolled a plastic cart in front of the courthouse and started passing out bottles of orange juice while shouting, "Free juice! Free The Juice!"

A few even took the free juice.

Jake Byrd, a 28-year-old man who said he took a bus up from Chino, Calif., on Tuesday night, appeared to be just another obnoxious "celebrity fan" outside the courthouse. But Byrd had made a name for himself on the late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live," crashing celebrity media events and news conferences.

Byrd stood beside Simpson's attorneys when they addressed the media after the hearing, shouting every few minutes.

Two people came dressed as cavemen to promote a show at the Golden Nugget. Others held up signs supporting their Web sites.

Garren Cone, who flew to Las Vegas from Florida on Tuesday night, arrived at the courthouse with an armload of white T-shirts bearing the slogan "Get Arrested in Las Vegas, Stay in Vegas" and a photo illustration of Simpson behind bars.

Cone, 45, was asking for donations, saying any money would be given to Las Vegas police.

"The entire world is watching," he said. "I wanted to put on a shirt what everyone in the world is thinking."

One man, who gave his name only as "Chicken George," chose to spend his day off from work dressed in a chicken suit and waving anti-Simpson signs.

Taking a break from the action, the 45-year-old convention worker crossed the street in front of the courthouse, removed his chicken mask and had a smoke.

As he puffed, he said, "I'm the chicken outside as they deal with the chicken inside."

Review-Journal writer David Kihara contributed to this report.