Think Moosehead Lake in the summer and you probably picture kayaking, fly-fishing, white-water rafting and moose safaris. But earlier this month in the vacation town of Greenville, a solo guitar sent strains of Yugoslavian folk songs over the cascading lawn and gardens of the Blair Hill Inn, which overlooks the immense and immensely popular lake.

The music was coming from a spacious carriage barn on the regal estate where the inn’s guests, vacationers from the town below, and locals attended a small summer music series that has been taking place at this historic mansion for the last three years. About 35 people gathered for the performance by Goran Ivanovic, a 24-year-old classical guitarist from Chicago. It was a quaint, friendly event, and the musician paused occasionally to explain the pieces he played. At intermission, he drank a beer and smoked a cigarette as he and his girlfriend, dressed formally in a short black dress and spiked heels, amiably chatted with fans. Ivanovic had never played at a barn before that night. “I like it,” he said. “Believe me, I like it.”

He wasn’t the only person who liked it.

“In Manhattan, we can go to any number of classical guitar concerts,” said one woman on vacation from New York. She was staying at another inn in town, but the owner there, who was also at the concert, encouraged her and other guests – all of whom were dressed casually – to attend. She continued: “Here, what’s totally different is that we’re 15 feet away from the guy.”

Her husband was equally impressed. “This is so special. It’s like going to Tanglewood,” he said, referring to the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s legendary summer home in Lenox, Mass.

“It’s better than Tanglewood,” his wife added. “It’s more intimate.”

Ruth and Dan McLaughlin, who own Blair Hill Inn and produce the summer series “Music on Blair Hill,” would have been pleased to hear the favorable comparison. Ruth, who grew up near Tanglewood and often attended lawn concerts there, was shooting for just that atmosphere when the couple decided to expand the offerings at their elegant bed and breakfast to include not only exquisite views, luxurious rooms, and gourmet fine-dining, but also live music.

“This property had such the feel of Tanglewood that I thought it should be shared,” said Ruth, who stages the concerts outdoors when weather permits and in the shabby-chic barn when it doesn’t. “This is not a money-making venture for us. We were looking to share the property. It’s the most exciting thing we do.”

While classical music is a particular love of Ruth’s, the series has a broad reach. Dan is a Grateful Dead fan, and he keeps an eye on popular acts. Earlier this summer, the jazz trumpeter Trent Austin played with his quartet, and the Kruger Brothers, the Swiss bluegrass group, attracted a crowd of more than 100.

Next week, the McLaughlins will present Mighty Sam McClain playing soul, and later this month Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas are sure to fill the outdoor venue, which can hold up to 300 people, with Cajun music. For these last two concerts of the season, Dan built a new stage on one of the manicured lawns surrounded by the gardens and woodlands of the 15-acre property.

The real point of the concerts, said the McLaughlins, is to share music and their pride in a home they have meticulously restored over the last six years.

Before moving to Greenville, the couple lived in Oak Park, Ill., and worked in the software industry for 20 years. Outside of work, they enjoyed house projects and won local awards for property maintenance. But after having two children, they wanted careers that combined their passion for home projects, property restoration and family life. In the winter of 1997, they saw an advertisement in Preservation magazine for the Lyman Blair House and knew they had stepped on a path laid by destiny.

“Before this, we did careers to make money, and careers got in the way of living life,” said Dan, who cooks breakfast each morning and takes care of the outdoor duties. Ruth handles the paperwork and staff. The children, Jack, 12, and Lily, 11, also help with chores.

The idea for the concert series came after the McLaughlins successfully bid for the Dapont String Quartet at a public radio auction in 2000. They hosted the event at the inn and invited friends and community members, many of whom had helped refurbish the house. The following year, the innkeepers decided to make a concert series a regular part of summer life at their establishment, which is open year-round, but features concerts only in July and August.

A night at the inn costs between $200 and $300, prices geared toward affluent vacationers. But the concerts, which run $15 to $20 and are sometimes used as fund-raisers for local civic projects, are meant to attract a far-flung audience. Some come from as far away as Nova Scotia and Bangor, a 75-mile journey, for the concerts alone.

Karen and Rich Pugh, who own a home in Greenville, are regular patrons at Blair Hill. They live in York, Pa., the rest of the year and regularly attend cultural events there.

“They’ve been great,” said Rich of the Blair Hill summer concerts. “It’s high-quality entertainment, and the setting is beautiful. It’s the venue as much as anything. It’s spectacular.”

“Over the years, Ruth and Dan have made us feel very welcome here,” said Karen. “It’s more like being at home than being guests.”

At the end of intermission on the night of the Ivanovic performance, the Pughs took their seats and held hands as they watched the music being played only 10 feet from their table. Like others in the audience, they sipped drinks and clapped appreciatively at the breaks. Ruth McLaughlin sat on the edge of her seat listening intently, and Dan stood by the barn door, beyond which the last light of day was dropping behind the mountains and shimmering in the fog blanketing Moosehead Lake.

“When people walk away moved by their emotional experience here, it’s rewarding for us,” said Ruth at the end. “We live here. We raise our children here. This is something we can give back to the community.”

Music on Blair Hill will present Mighty Sam McClain, 7 p.m., Aug. 21, and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, 5 p.m. Cajun cookout and 7 p.m. concert Aug. 30. Concerts are held outside so bring a lawn chair or blanket. For reservations and tickets, call 695-0224 or e-mail: info@blairhill.com.