by Nicole Matheson
A long time Lake Havasu resident, Ginger Stroup, has become a licensed Lighter-Than-Air Pilot with her new hot air balloon, Faithful Dreams. A familiar face in town, Stroup and her husband Scott own and operate the custom cabinet shop, “Accurate Measures”.
“My first time piloting was exhilarating and nerve wracking all at the same time,” Stroup said of her maiden voyage to the sky, a somewhat emotional trip for her and the crew. This trip was 18 months in the making for Stroup to acquire her license. But her love of hot air balloons began much sooner.
“My family and I have been involved with Havasu Balloon Festival from day one,” Stroup explained. “It was something we all fell in love with. We have sponsored the balloon ‘Sunsational’ since the second year.”
When friends and balloon pilots Dave and Kathy Reinke gave Stroup’s son Ethan a ride at just 6 years old, Stroup said that, “Ethan was bit by the ballooning bug that day. At 14, he began officially training to be a hot air balloon pilot.”
It wasn’t a straightforward path for Ethan, who Stroup said is a natural in the air but was challenged by the FAA written exam. To help him get past the finish line, Stroup considered that she and her husband should become pilots as she said, “We would eventually own a balloon for Ethan and I thought it would smart for one or both of us to know how to pilot the balloon we own.”
It came about in October of 2024, where Stroup recalled, “Our family was in Bullhead City with the Gebhart family for the inaugural balloon event. Jim and Cheryl’s son Aaron flew in to be the pilot for the weekend. While at lunch with Cheryl and Aaron, I told them I had mentioned to my husband Scott that we should both train to be pilots so we could travel around to events when we retire like Dave and Kathy Reinke.”
Although Stroup’s husband initially declined, the idea stuck with Aaron. Stroup said, “That evening he had me inflating the balloon for night glow and I did the glow. The next day, I officially had my first training flight. From that day on, I had the ballooning bug and began the training.”
Stroup’s beautiful hot air balloon “Faithful Dreams” represents the Bible verse Psalms 37:4. Stroup shared with RiverScene, “I designed the balloon to honor God and both of my boys. Ethan is my youngest son and he is on the Spectrum so the puzzle piece is for him. My oldest son Trevor was diagnosed with Renal Cell Carcinoma in February of this year. We lost him on October 23. The purple ribbon represents all cancers in honor of him. The red heart in the center of the cross represents my heart always being with God. In short, I am continually Faithfully Dreaming for cures for Autism and Cancer and many other things.”
Stroup’s balloon piloting days are just beginning, and she would like to share the sweet message of her balloon with as many as possible. “My favorite aspect of riding or piloting a hot air balloon is the serenity and being as close to God as possible while still living on earth. It is so incredibly peaceful, beautiful and gives me the opportunity to reflect and have very meaningful conversations with God.”
Havasu has been a beloved home to the Stroup family since 1972. Stroup reflected, “I love that no matter how big Havasu gets it still has a small town feel and that we are a very large family. When someone in this community needs help, the entire community steps up. Sure we have disagreements, arguments, etc., but at the end of the day, we are one large family and support our own.”
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