Irondale Mayor's AI Festival Renaming Sparks Backlash Over Data Center Fears

Every summer, the I Love Irondale Day festival celebrates the small city neighboring Birmingham, Alabama, most famous as the home of the cafe that inspired the 90s dramedy Fried Green Tomatoes.

But earlier this month, Mayor James D. Stewart announced on his Facebook page that the festival would be renamed AI Love Irondale Day. Get it?

People in the comments did and hated it.

Some trashed AI, calling it "absolutely garbage for the environment" and the festival an "AI slop event." Another person said the post sounded like a pep rally for what's become a boogeyman in the South: data centers.

While two city councilmembers told NPR there are no immediate plans for a data center in Irondale, nearby Bessemer, Alabama is prepping for a multibillion-dollar data center — and residents have been fighting against it.

In the face of the backlash, Stewart posted a new video: The rebranding was just "a play on words," he said, and the festival would not be about AI or data centers. Still, he said, the festival would return to its original name: I Love Irondale.

(Stewart's office did not respond to a request for comment.)

Data centers are a hot topic, especially in parts of the South and the Midwest that are seeing the biggest construction boom. Local officials often herald them as a source of new jobs and tax dollars — although once construction is finished, it's not clear if they'll create many permanent jobs.

Yet public disdain for data centers is widespread. A Gallup poll from March found that 70% of Americans are opposed to the centers being built where they live. They worry about noise pollution, and about how power-and-water-hungry data centers would affect their utility bills and the environment.

"My fear is all of the above," said Kathleen Haberstroh, who attended the city's festival on Saturday, when it went ahead under its original name. "It just feels predatory."

"I don't like data centers," said resident John Horton. He called them "a waste of space, resources, community."

On the other hand, he does indeed love Irondale. "I don't want to sound corny and say there's a certain magic to it, but it's right by the railroad tracks. You've got Whistle Stop Cafe," he said. "You have that sunset. I mean there's something beautiful about it."

Amelia Fielder also praised the city she's lived in for 26 years. However, she's not opposed to the idea of AI in Irondale and would welcome a data center neighbor, believing it would bring jobs.

She also said this year's festival was the biggest yet, and she didn't have an issue with its brief renaming after AI. "Everything else is AI," said Fielder. "Why not?"

City councilmember Aaron Sims, spotted at the festival, said he does not expect any huge data centers to come to Irondale.

"We don't have 150 acres just sitting out there for a big hyperscale facility," he said. But, he said, the council is creating new rules in case a developer is interested in building a smaller data center.

On the reason for the attempt to rename the festival, Sims said, "I think the mayor just realized that, you know, AI is here. Tech is here. We want our citizens educated on the future. This is the little taste today."

Even with AI no longer in the name, the festival did have something of a tech theme. Dancers on stilts — dressed as robots — moved to a Spanish version of "Achy Breaky Heart."

There was a screen set up where festival-goers were supposed to answer questions to teach a chatbot about Irondale — but it was not working.

The festival's big tech hit was the drone show finale. Dewar Gaines watched with his son as drones gathered in the sky to form the Statue of Liberty, the American flag and spelled out "I Love Irondale."

Gaines, who owns a dog treat factory in Irondale, has heard firsthand how loud data centers can be and doesn't want one built near him.