A summer pond. Saint-Joseph Pond, a friendly, family-friendly haven of peace in Heimsbrunn

Private and quiet, at the very end of Rue des Saules in Heimsbrunn. It almost seems as if the Saint-Joseph pond is hidden away on its Albert-Schweitzer street. On one side, cornfields, long-time neighbors; on the other, a housing development and the campsite. This one, Parc La Chaumière, often attracts Sunday fishermen from across the Rhine or the Netherlands during the holiday season.

This is probably because the establishment's manager, Monique Calmelat, slips them a kind word about the nearby body of water and the good humor of her neighbors from the Fishing and Fish Farming Association. She doesn't hesitate to come and participate in a fishermen's event and... sometimes even leaves with fresh eggs from the henhouse, installed at the entrance to the site. "Monique, she comes to get eggs and comes to meals, brings people to the Bastille Day party," smiles the APP president, Patrick Deck, who has known his neighbor for a long time. It is this family spirit that is cultivated at the end of Schweitzer Street in the village.

The land was cultivated, precisely, in the area when the fishermen took possession of the place in 1967. Corn, everywhere as far as the eye could see. "It was a one-hectare field," confirms one of the site's living memories and former president for some fifteen years, Lucien Sellet. Leaning on the counter, he recalls, with a big smile, the early years. His first steps on the banks. His first steps as president in the early 90s, when "the Three Musketeers were still there." He shows a photo of the trio, hanging on the wall of the room. They are his father, Lucien Sellet senior, Joseph Simaz senior, and Germain Kuttler. They played a key role when Lucien junior "launched the project" for the new premises. "There was only a small depot for agricultural machinery... We applied for a building permit."

It was in 1993. The current walls were erected by the little hands of volunteers. Lucien senior, Joseph senior, and Germain "prepared everything all week. And we came on the weekend to do the rest. Putting up the walls is easier," Lucien smiles mischievously. A time of memorable evenings. Including the inauguration of the hall, still perfectly etched in our memories today, the details of which cannot be revealed.

It was in 1995. Here too, the fisherman points to the photos. There were personalities such as "Francis Flury, the former mayor of Brunstatt, Joseph Klifa, the former mayor of Mulhouse, and the entire village council." All these people finished in the early hours "and left with the rolls and croissants." Like the members who advocate "conviviality."

A spirit that resonates during organized events, such as meals. "We organize several meals throughout the year. The choir came to eat last week, there were about twenty of them. There's Citizens' Day, Bastille Day, the children's carnival, etc."

And thank goodness Saint Joseph's joyful little hands never gave up, otherwise this spirit might have flown away some thirty years ago, when the hall burned down. "People had broken the window, taken the fire extinguishers, wrecked everything, stolen. They tried to set fire to it." Here again, a picture on the wall of the hall shows the extent of the damage.

The former president continues: "We rebuilt everything as we went along. Luckily, a guy from the committee came fishing early that Sunday morning, around 6 a.m., otherwise, everything would have gone..." The damage was there, but the flames did not touch the walls built a few years earlier by the volunteers. These walls are decorated with a fresco of the place created by Alain Hans, brother-in-law of... Lucien. A friendly and family-friendly site.

Since taking over in 2005, Patrick Deck has been working to keep this heritage alive and beautify the place, with the help of volunteers, of course. "What we earn, we invest, for meals, maintenance, fish stocking..." A beautiful new path, the large covered courtyard, the parking lot, and the recent renovation of the toilets: so many projects carried out successfully give the place character. Once again, everything was done by volunteers, except the parking lot.

Even though the number of members is dwindling (90 at its peak, with an average of a good fifty every year over the past twenty years), the older members are keeping watch and helping out. Isn't that right, Lucien? "I'm always there. My walking stick is full of dust. You never have time as a retiree, the days are too short [laughs]."