A friendly face is a welcoming sight at the holidays for residents of The Summit Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lehighton.

Luckily for them, they've been seeing the same friendly face, Ed Conarty, for 67 years.Conarty and several other Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 social quarters volunteers, spent Sunday volunteering with the Lehigh Fire Company No. 1 social quarters delivering cookies to Summit residents."This is something that the fire company has been doing even before I joined," Conarty said. "Then I continued to do it as an active firefighter and when I was fire chief. When I retired, I just wanted to keep doing it. I really enjoy it."The fire company purchases the cookies, which Conarty called high quality, and delivers them each year around Christmas.Why stick with the tradition for 67 years?"You're doing something good for humanity," Conarty said. "That is the only reason you need."According to the staff at the Summit, many of the residents look forward to and remember Conarty's visits from year to year.He said while not all of the residents are capable of interacting with him for long periods of time, he still feels good knowing he may have made a difference."I just want their family to come visit them and see that you know there are people who care out there," Conarty said. "The residents we do talk to, they're so grateful."On Sunday, Conarty said on a few occasions he heard "I knew you would be here" from residents as he walked in their rooms.Just as they get to know him, he knows many of their names as well."Some of them have been there a long time," he said. "We develop a real friendship."