Comedian Charlie Berens has been touring the region for several months – and came to our neck of the woods this past weekend – departing from his staple Midwest accent-heavy shtick to bring a different kind of messaging to audiences.

Berens, best known for “Manitowoc Minute,” is a UW-Madison alum and former journalist who has become a vocal critic of data center development. With over 10 million followers across social media platforms, Berens has taken his town hall-style tour to over a dozen communities since 2025.

On Saturday, June 13, Berens was the keynote speaker of “Uniting West Wisconsin: A Regional Response to Data Centers” at the Eau Claire Event District (5633 20th Ave., Eau Claire). 

Roughly 600 people filled the local venue to learn more about hyperscale data centers – developments which often spark pushback from nearby residents regarding environmental- and transparency-related concerns – and how to organize against them, per the event's focus.

According to Cleanview, a market intelligence company tracking U.S. power infrastructure and data center development, there are over a dozen proposed hyperscale data centers in Wisconsin alone. 

“There’s a lot of experts here that know their stuff,” Berens told News 13 at the June 13 event, “and I’m just a billboard pointing to them.”

Organized by Great Lakes Neighbors United (GLNI) and Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin (GROWW), the event also included speakers from Wisconsin Farmers Union and other orgs; musical performances by Soren Staff and Beau Janke of Them Coulee Boys and Boyceville-born musician Madilyn Bailey; Blaine Halverson, an area resident who has continued to advocate for transparency around data centers following Menomonie's own halted project; a brief appearance by Eau Claire author B.J. Hollars, among several others.

“What's happening in this room tonight is one of the most inspiring things happening across the country. This is the only thing that scares big tech, because this is the only thing they can't buy,” Berens told the event's audience.

The following day, June 14, GNLI and GROWW hosted another public event focused on data centers – which featured musician D. Janakey, local comedian Laura Buccholz and Eau Claire Writer-in-Residence Ken Szymanski – in Knapp. 

The Berens-headlined event on June 13 was livestreamed and can be viewed online.