cots, the language spoken in the Scottish lowlands close to northern varieties of English, was the primary language of the first wave of Scottish New Yorkers, who played a prominent role in the city's early history and organized the Scots Society (1744) and the St. Andrew's Society (1756). Starting in the late 18th century, more highlanders, often Scottish Gaelic-speaking Catholics, started arriving in the city fleeing poverty and the Jacobite rebellions. Scottish immigration continued to increase during the first half of the 19th century, with a wide range of professions, institutions, and taverns associated with the community. The industrial suburb of Kearney, New Jersey became and remains a significant site for Scots in the New York area and is reportedly where the first soccer games in the U.S. were played — the Scots American Club there remains active. In the city, the New York Caledonian Club has been a pillar of the community since 1856, with cultural events like fiddle workshops, whiskey tastings, ceilidhs (folk dance gatherings), and language classes in (now highly endangered) Scottish Gaelic. Tartan Week, a celebration of Scottish culture, is celebrated annually in April. Today speakers of Scots live scattered around the metro area, while there are individual Scottish Gaelic speakers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the suburbs, according to one.