The leaves are turning, the apples are getting ready to be picked and every Red Hook kid is getting jazzed up for his or her annual dose of colored wash-off hairspray. Red Hook’s annual Hardscrabble Day celebration is back from September 23 to September 24. The celebration actually spans two days this year, starting with Red Hook football’s homecoming match at 7 p.m. on Friday. At 9 p.m. Friday night, there will be a screening of Raiders of the Lost Ark on the Linden Avenue Middle School lawn; bring your own chair or blankie.

The festivities officially begin on Saturday. Per usual, the flea market will dominate Broadway. Taste Budd’s will be hosting “ScrabbleScrabble” from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. this year, providing Hardscrabble Day attendees a chance to kick up their feet, enjoy a delicious Taste Budd’s coffee or confection and play a game of Scrabble. Keeping the Scrabble pun alive will be “HistoryScrabble,” held at the Elmendorph Grounds on North Broadway from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. HistoryScrabble will include a Revolutionary War encampment, sheep-shearing, wool-spinning and pie à la mode.

The TreeScrabble event will be held at the St. Margaret’s Estate sponsored by Holy Cow at 1 p.m. The event will be focused on raising cash to restore historical St. Margaret’s and fund the Red Hook Tree Committee. Local craftspeople will be exhibiting their work, and Holy Cow will provide a good old-fashioned ice cream social.

The “Hooked on Red Hook” Oral History Event will be held at the Elmendorph Inn from 1 until 3 p.m.; participants will have the opportunity to record a two-minute interview about what makes Red Hook so special. The interviews will be used in the Hook’s upcoming bicentennial celebration. Following this will be the Hardscrabble Day Parade at 4 p.m. Robert Randolph and the Family Band will be playing at the main stage in front of the Village Hall at 7 p.m.

And it just wouldn’t be Hardscrabble Day without some Red Hook High athletics. The Red Hook girls’ soccer team plays at 5 p.m., and the Red Hook boys play at 7 p.m. under the lights.

These are just a few highlights, though, of the freshest local holiday on the calendar. The full itinerary can be found at hardscrabbleday.org, and the event’s e-mail is at info@hardscrabbleday.org.