MARSHALL — If you operate a carnival, the Lyon County Fair Board would like to talk. The Fair Board does not have a carnival signed up for this year.

There is a lot of competition for carnivals.

“The trouble is, there are 14 fairs going on that weekend, the second weekend in August,” said Wally Wichmann, Lyon County Fair Board member.

Fourteen fairs and “11, maybe 12 carnivals that you can hire,” he said.

The Fair Board hasn’t given up.

“We have several scouts out looking,” Wichmann said.

If a carnival can’t be locked down, there is an alternative the Fair Board might have to fall back on — inflatables.

“The newer stuff some people like better than a carnival,” he said. “There are inflatables bigger than 30 feet high. There is an obstacle course 100 feet long.”

Other Lyon County Fair attractions are set to go on as usual.

Wichmann said the “midway will be full — games and bouncy swings. We’ll have free entertainment, the rodeo will go on as always, the 4-H livestock will go on as normal and the Ralco Enrichment Center. We’ll add a few things to the Center.”

At a recent Lyon County Board meeting, Board Chairman Gary Crowley said people want and expect a carnival and not having a carnival would hurt attendance.

Nevertheless, Wichmann is optimistic for a successful Lyon County Fair.

“We’re looking forward to having a good fair,” he said.