Microchondria III Launch Party at 8 p.m. Friday at Harvard Book Store, 1256 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square. Free.

The call for work from writers and artists for Harvard Book Store’s third print-on-demand book of 500-word fiction went out Feb. 1; one short month later, “Microchondria III: More Short Short Stories” is ready to roll off the custom presses. Get a copy of the 29-writer anthology (in a choice of three covers), enjoy some refreshments and hear readings by selected authors. Information is here.

Maple Syrup Boil Down Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Somerville Community Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave., near Union Square, Somerville. Free.

Find out how sap from local sugar maple trees is boiled down into pure maple syrup over a warm fire, then taste the syrup while enjoying music and activities. Attendees can expect syrup-tasting, kids’ activities and demonstrations, as well as pancakes and hot drinks. Maple Syrup Project T-shirts and posters will be on sale at this unique outdoor festival celebrating the dawn of spring and local urban resources. Information is here.

The Third Annual Empty Bowls Project from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at Puritan & Co., 1166 Cambridge St., near Inman Square. Tickets are $30.

Nice, warm soup dinner cooked by Inman Square restaurants such as Olé, Trina’s Starlight Lounge, City Girl Catering, Puritan & Co. and 1369 Coffeehouse promises to warm your soul as well, even while it keeps homeless women in Cambridge literally warm. After eating, you take home handmade bowls donated by local potters (including from the Feet of Clay organization and those at the MIT Student Art Association; a donated bowl by Avigayil R. is seen above), and the money goes to the On The Rise homeless day program. Information is here.

Family Opera’s “The Weaver’s Wedding” at 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday (and next weekend) at the auditorium of the Peabody School, 70 Rindge Ave., North Cambridge. There is a suggested admission donation of $12 for adults or $6 for kids, slightly more with online service fees to guarantee getting in.

A classic Bengali animal fable (“Chincha-Chancha Cooroo” by Upendrakishore Raychaudhuri) is brought to the stage in this all-sung version by the reliably great North Cambridge Family Opera. Even with its inclusive, rotating casts, the Family Opera can be counted on for stunning sets, colorful costumes, and accomplished music and dance by a relentlessly bright, happy, intergenerational cast. In this show, first performed in 2009 (seen above), a wily Jackal arranges the marriage of a foolish, uneducated weaver to a king’s daughter. The show is an entirely sung 70 minutes – presented with intermission and side titles – enjoyable for all ages with both raucous and ridiculous moments (there’s a scene with a stage full of kids under orders to make as much noise as possible, and one where a protagonist literally cannot work out how to get into the marriage bed) and discussable plot points: The story hinges on an arranged marriage in which the ignorant husband shines after being taught by a sharp princess. Information is here.

Accordion Fundraiser for the Nave Galleries from 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday at Aeronaut Brewing, 14 Tyler St., near Union Square, Somerville. There is a $10 suggested donation.

The accordion takes center stage in a night of music featuring Sophie’s Smokin’ Squeezebox (seen above), Roberto Cassan and St. Stosh’s Polka Slosh, all to raise funds for programming and exhibit spaces for local and regional artists at Somerville’s Nave Galleries. Information is here.