Tuesday on the Town visionary Mike Betten retires from life on the radio

A face behind the series that has connected the Hampton community with up-and-coming country music artists for nearly a decade has elected to take his final bow.

Mike Betten, a radio DJ for KLMJ & KQCR Radio on the Go, celebrated the last day of his career in radio – 32 years of which were spent in Hampton – today, Sept. 30.

Betten, who first came to the radio station in Hampton in 1988, is credited as one of the founders and key promoters of Tuesday on the Town, which brings Nashville recording artists and the Hampton Municipal Band together each Tuesday evening in June.

Betten said he first brought up the idea of a concert at Band Shell Park to then Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Director, and former Hampton mayor, Brook Boehmler. The vision was to have a night for families to gather at the park and enjoy an evening of live music.

Boehmler agreed, and Betten began formulating an idea of what shows would look like. Pulling from connections he made while attending the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville or acts that had previously visited the station, Betten recruited artists he believed would put on a family-friendly show for small town Iowa.

“I visualized what they would be like when they would do a show,” he said. “It’s easier to do acoustic because they don’t have to bring the full band and it cuts down on costs for them, too.”

The first concert featured the band Lucy Angel and performer Sherry Lynn and following their performances, the idea didn’t take long to plant roots in the community and quickly grew from one night at the park to several.

“We started with just a couple acts and it grew to an act every week,” he said. “A lot of artists have come back, they enjoy coming here and they always talk about how Hampton is a great town.”

Betten said one of the joys of recruiting artists to Tuesday on the Town performances is to see the impact and the impression the station and the community have made on artists. While early Tuesday on the Town acts came from previous connections, Betten said several others followed suit because of the positivity performers took away from their performances on the stage at Band Shell Park.

“Sometimes a lot of it has been because we support their music. That’s the big number one and why a lot of them come through here,” he said, “but a lot of them didn’t know anything about Hampton but once they came, they were really impressed and it got out to other artists that we talked to.”

He added that a major selling point of Tuesday on the Town, and one he’s proud to promote, is the reception each artist gets from the time they arrive in Hampton to after their performance. The warm welcome they receive, Betten said, has translated to repeat visits from some artists.

“It says a lot for the community of Hampton that they should be very proud of it because a lot of these artists have never heard of Hampton and they don’t know what this place is,” he said. “Everything from the specialty shops to places to eat and just the way the town has accepted them, that’s a big deal.”

Newton Grotzinger, Greater Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Director, said that Betten’s contributions to Tuesday on the Town and the series’ ability to showcase Hampton have been a boost for both the artists and the community. He said Betten’s dedication and passion to country music have translated to a staple that is unique to Hampton.

“Over the years, Mike has met and helped many Nashville artists get recognition for their songs and stories,” he said. “The Tuesday on the Town event in June has been a success for nine years because of the contacts he has in Nashville.

“The Chamber is very thankful for all the work Mike has done to make this event very entertaining and personal for our community,” he added.

Betten said one of the aspects he’s enjoyed most about his connection to the country music industry is the chance to meet artists and see their concerts as their careers are just beginning. While not a Tuesday on the Town artist, Betten said one of the highlights of his career was welcoming now country superstars Florida Georgia Line into the studio in Hampton.

“You look back on that and that one right there stands out in particular,” he said.

Betten’s eventual last Tuesday on the Town didn’t happen quite as planned, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of visits to Hampton, the scheduled artists adjusted their performances to provide Facebook live concerts to an online audience, streamed through the KLMJ Facebook page. Viewers were encouraged to donate to the designated organization for the week, as is Tuesday on the Town tradition. Betten said the modification was an adjustment, but followed the heart of Tuesday on the Town and its mission to connect up-and-coming artists to a new community and eventually form a lasting connection.

That connection, he said, is how the unusual idea of a free, weekly concert in small town Iowa grew from a concept to a tradition that had artists unfamiliar with the community eventually clamoring to get back.

“I don’t know what we had in mind,” he said, with a laugh. “I didn’t expect to do it every year because you’re talking about artists doing a free show and that’s a big thing right there but a lot of the artists that have done it before love it and want to come back.

“I think that speaks so highly of Hampton,” he added.

As Betten’s retirement becomes effective, he’s still considering what his next step in life will be, but he said he won’t be surprised if the music that has inspired him to pursue his career and establish a Hampton tradition is part of it.

“I’d still like to continue because country music has been a passion of mine all my life,” he said. “We just have to see what comes next.”