The Fountain Bar’s 3-4-1 drink special has been canceled indefinitely due to a brawl that broke out Sept. 19.
The Tuesday 3-4-1 special at Fountain Bar has been a staple in the bar culture of Starkville, offering bar-goers three drinks for the price of one. This weekly event was often crowded with lines leading down the stairs to the entrance of the bar.
Witnesses recall a fight breaking out inside the Fountain Bar between two individuals visiting for the 3-4-1 special. As the fight progressed, others in the crowd joined, resulting in one person using a crowbar as a weapon. This led the security guards of Watch Dawg Protection to remove all customers from the business in an attempt to break up the brawl that had moved onto University Drive.
Witnesses reported this to be one of many fights to have occurred during the lifetime of the 3-4-1 special at the Fountain Bar. Witness Kennedy Ledford said she was pushed around by the fight.
“At first I couldn’t really see what was going on when the fight moved outside, so I stood up to see and I saw this guy go to the back of his truck parked at the Vista, he grabbed a crowbar and just started sprinting toward the people fighting with it,” Ledford said. “On the walk back to my apartment at the Vista they were still fighting, but the Watch Dawgs had told us all to get out so we were all kind of in the street.”
Ledford described her night as chaotic, but stated that she never feared for her safety. Ledford said that while she was disappointed to hear that the 3-4-1 special she had been attending throughout college had to end so suddenly, she plans to go out again.
“Obviously, I’m sad that they had to cancel 3-4-1, but I feel like it’s best for The Fountain to do this after what happened, I mean everybody heard about it and a lot of people saw it happen,” Ledford said. “I’ll probably still go out, but I didn’t expect that and I am sure everyone was concerned.”
Police were not present during the altercation but arrived on the scene after the fight had concluded. Sgt. Brandon Lovelady, public information officer of the Starkville Police Department, said that law enforcement responded to a third-party report of a fight. The fight concluded by the time law enforcement arrived, and no one attempted to file a report or complaint of the incident. There were no reported injuries.
“Following protocol, we cleared the crowd out of the area and closely patrolled throughout the remainder of the evening to prevent any other incidents from occurring,” Lovelady said. “It is important to note that we did not receive any direct calls, and it seems that many people had phones available to record the incident instead of calling us to report it.”
The 3-4-1 special has been a weekly recurrence for over 10 years and its cancellation has disappointed many patrons. The news came via an Instagram post made by the Fountain Bar and Mojo Maroons last Wednesday.
“3-4-1 HAS BEEN CANCELED until further notice, we have enjoyed seeing you every Tuesday and hope to see y’all again soon,” the post read.
The cancellation post’s comments were filled with students voicing their dismay. In response, The Fountain Bar’s owner Jason Roden explained that the safety of Fountain Bar customers is their top priority.
“We have heard your concerns, and we are taking them very seriously. It will take us some time to come up with a new special where everyone can have a safe and fun night,” Roden said. “Please bear with us as we continue to grow and serve our community in the best way possible.”

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