The 1997 Wild Iris Folk Festival featured more Bluegrass and Old Time music than past Festivals have, combined with an eclectic mix of other artists. On the Bluegrass and Old Time side, festival goers had the opportunity to enjoy the music of The Laurel Canyon Ramblers with Herb Pedersen on Sunday afternoon, Hoof Hearted (known to many of us just as Bob and Ernie) opening the Sunday afternoon program, the hot picking of Mendocino County's String  Creek Band on Saturday afternoon, and from Montreal (individually from the USA, Canada, England and the Czech Republic) The Immigrants, who played both a Bluegrass set and a set of Gipsy and Eastern European music.