Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin file photoFelly Smith of Sunriver performs as the crowd eats lunch during the 2011 Hoedown for Hunger at Bend’s Community Center.

Two things happened earlier this week that made me feel like my life is racing by before my very eyes.

One was the instant Internet stardom of Alex from Target, a cashier who became a viral sensation for some unknown reason after his photo was posted to Twitter. Look it up and prepare to have your mind boggled.

The other was the realization that Bend’s Community Center will host the ninth annual Hoedown for Hunger benefit concert on Sunday.

The ninth! How did that happen?

I wrote about the inaugural Hoedown in 2006, which featured three bands (two of which are playing this year, too) and was the brainchild of Jay Bowerman, banjo player for Quincy Street and principal researcher at Sunriver Nature Center. Back then, he picked a date, called up a couple bands he knew and the first Hoedown was born.

Eight years later, the Hoedown has become not only a major fundraiser for BCC’s Feed the Hungry program, but also a reliable cog in Central Oregon’s fall music scene. This year’s event will gather more than 20 local folk, bluegrass and Americana bands for an all-day concert (see schedule).

All-you-can-eat chili will be donated by 15 local restaurants and individuals, and a no-host bar will offer beer and wine from 10 Barrel Brewing, Atlas Cider Co., and Caprio Vineyards in Washington. There will also be a silent auction, and BCC will be accepting donations of outdoor survival gear such as tents, tarps, sleeping bags, cookware, warm clothing and propane cylinders for its Keep Them Warm program.

As long as we’re looking back, it’s worth noting: In 2006, the year of the first Hoedown for Hunger, BCC reported that the Feed the Hungry program routinely fed 250 needy people each week. This year, the center says the program prepares more than 2,000 meals for homeless people per week.

That’s a staggering and sobering statistic.

Hoedown for Hunger; 1-9 p.m. Saturday; $20, available at the door or in advance at the number below, free for children 12 and younger; Bend’s Community Center, 1036 NE Fifth St., Bend; www.bendscommunitycenter.org or 541-312-2069.

— Ben Salmon